Why Climate Crisis Is Also A Health Crisis

Climate change along with varied natural and human-made health stressors greatly influences health. The climate crisis has led to intensifying current health conditions and has also led to the rise of new ones. On World Health Day 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) took an initiative to raise awareness among people to amplify the impact of the climate crisis on the general health of the masses. World Health Day is celebrated every year on the 7th of April to mark the foundation of WHO in 1948. Every year, a different theme is chosen to highlight an area of concern and embark the attention of the public on that specific cause to raise awareness. This year, “Our planet, Our health” theme was chosen to emphasize the concern of how environmental deterioration has also led to the downfall of health and how the planet and health are interconnected and how we need to have clean air, water, and food for a healthier tomorrow.

The World Health Organization estimated that around more than 13 million deaths around the globe annually are primarily caused by environmental factors like ambient air pollution. The Climate Crisis is a major reason behind plenty of health conditions affecting people worldwide. 12% of the population, which is over 930 million people, spend at least 10% of their household budget to pay for health care. Economically weaker sections are put under great stress and pressure due to the uncertainty and insecurity of the same forcing them into the cycle of debt each year. However, central and state governments can greatly improve the situation as they have the authority at hand. They can use their legislative powers for the execution of policies to find the root cause and further improve the situation. We need to have a broader perspective and a wider macro-managed system to combat the situation in a better way.

Climate change has led to the deterioration of air, water, and food quality leading to an extreme decline in health conditions as the quality of the environment directly influences the quality of health. Climate change also influences environmental temperature, increases allergens, and changes vector ecology. As of now, we can say that the biggest threat to humanity today is the climate crisis. Malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress have led to more than 250000 deaths annually.

The long COVID pandemic unmasked the fragility of the world, the healthcare system as well as the planet. The pandemic unveiled how most people, mainly the elderly, children, and minorities are highly vulnerable regarding access to good health. During the COVID times, the government undertook the responsibility and encountered the global crisis with unprecedented funding and improved the logistics of health care delivery. Similarly, the same amount of effort and commitment is a prerequisite to facing the global climate crisis and improving the overall health of the general being. It is a need of the hour to conserve the planet and save biodiversity to swear by a better future for all of us. Cities like Jaipur are on the verge of extreme air and sound pollution, global warming, inadequate clean water, declining underground water, and finally the streets are littered with garbage. As the youth of today, we all need to take a pledge to reform better amendments, abide by the rules and take actions to reduce the global pandemic of climate change and ensure a decline in deaths caused by pollution and form a sustainable, resilient, and healthier world for all of us.