Climate change: A Global Crisis

Abstract

Climate change is affecting people's lives and health in many different ways. Clean air, safe drinking water, a plentiful supply of nutrient-rich food, and a safe place to live - key elements of good well-being are all at risk, and it may undo decades of progress in world health. Climate change is predicted to result in an increase in yearly mortality from starvation, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress. The areas least equipped and with limited health infrastructure, such as developing nations like Pakistan, will be less able to deal with this crisis. The mining and burning of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gas emissions, which play a significant role in both climate change and air pollution. Numerous programmes and individual decisions about how to utilize energy, food, and transportation have the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions and have a significant positive impact on people's health, especially by reducing air pollution. Examples of strategies that might reduce carbon emissions and ease the burden of indoor and outdoor air pollution include the phase-out of polluting energy systems or the promotion of active lifestyles and public transportation. The increase in death and illness from increasing extreme weather effects, food-, water-, and vector-borne illnesses, as well as mental health problems are all significant effects of climate change on health. Extreme weather events like heatwaves, storms, and floods are also becoming more often. In addition, many of the social factors that influence health, such as access to healthcare, equality, and livelihoods, are being deteriorated by climate change. The most vulnerable are people, such as women, children, ethnic minorities, impoverished communities, migrants or displaced people, elderly populations, and those with underlying health issues, as they are disproportionately affected by these climate-sensitive health concerns.

Climate change has had a significant impact on Pakistan, as seen by the recent devastating floods that claimed thousands of lives and left millions homeless. People who were impacted by flood waters contracted several illnesses, including malaria and dengue. Recent severe weather occurrences in Pakistan include heat waves that melt glaciers and cause devastating floods, smog, and air pollution posing serious health problems to people. If necessary steps are not taken, these effects of climate change might worsen. To address this crisis, significant decisions must be made, including coordinating reviews of the scientific evidence on the relationships between climate change and health; determining a nation's readiness for and needs in the face of climate change; enhancing national capacities and enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of health systems to address the negative health effects of climate change; developing expertise on the links between climate change and human health; and reducing the risk of global warming.