Global Health Impacts of Climate Change

The document details how climate change acts as a major global health threat through direct effects like extreme heat and storms, and indirect effects mediated by natural systems (air pollution, vector-borne diseases) and human systems (poverty, migration, conflict). It highlights that vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those in low-income regions, are disproportionately affected.

• Extreme heat is projected to cause significant increases in annual mortality if adaptation measures are not implemented, with the WHO estimating excess deaths will exceed 92,000 by 2030 and 255,000 by 2050.
• Heat exposure significantly reduces labour capacity, particularly in the agricultural sector; in 2017, 153 billion labour hours were lost globally due to heat, with China alone losing 21 billion hours.
• Climate change increases the risk and geographic range of vector-borne diseases; the WHO projects 60,000 additional malaria deaths by 2030 and 200 million more people at risk of malaria by 2050.
• Air pollution, which is inextricably linked to climate change through the combustion of fuels, causes an estimated seven million premature deaths annually on a global basis.
• Wildfires, predicted to increase globally, contribute to acute trauma and long-term mental health issues, with forest fire-related air pollution estimated to cause 339,000 premature deaths per year globally.
• Climate change exacerbates socioeconomic instability, with 2017 seeing 712 climate-related events causing US $326 billion in economic losses, 99% of which occurred in low-income countries and were uninsured.
• Certain populations are disproportionately vulnerable to climate health impacts, including those in low-lying coastal settlements, Indigenous peoples, children, the elderly, and women and girls due to socioeconomic and physiological factors.

APA

McGushin, A. (2019). Global Health Impacts of Climate Change. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-2-Final-Solo-April-4-2019.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

McGushin, Alice. Global Health Impacts of Climate Change. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2019. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-2-Final-Solo-April-4-2019.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=McGushin |first1=Alice |title=Global Health Impacts of Climate Change |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=April 2019 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-2-Final-Solo-April-4-2019.pdf#new_tab |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mcgushin2019global, author = {McGushin, Alice}, title = {{Global Health Impacts of Climate Change}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-2-Final-Solo-April-4-2019.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }