Climate change impacts on health care
Just two days ago over 100 of the world’s leading insurance companies urged world leaders to draw on the industry's expertise to shape climate adaptation policies. Insurance companies know that climate change is going to have drastic and lasting effects on our health care system. We thought we’d highlight for you a few of the main ways climate change will impact health care.
Just two days ago over 100 of the world’s leading insurance companies urged world leaders to draw on the industry's expertise to shape climate adaptation policies. Insurance companies know that climate change is going to have drastic and lasting effects on our health care system. We thought we’d highlight for you a few of the main ways climate change will impact health care.
(1) Direct Temperature Effects - Climate change could directly affect human health through increases in average temperature. Such increases would likely lead to more extreme heat waves during the summer. Rising average temperatures are predicted to increase not only the intensity but also the frequency of heat waves. In the United States, Chicago is projected to experience 25 percent more frequent heat waves and Los Angeles a four-to-eight-fold increase in heat wave days by the end of the century. Particular segments of the population such as those with heart problems, asthma, the elderly, the very young and the homeless can be especially vulnerable to extreme heat.
(2) As we all know extreme weather events can be destructive to human health and well-being. The U.S. Global Change Research Program is researching the extent to which climate change may affect the frequency and severity of these events, such as hurricanes and extreme heat and floods. An increase in the frequency of extreme events would result in more event-related deaths, injuries, infectious diseases, and stress-related disorders.
(3) Climate-Sensitive Diseases – Climate change may increase the risk of infectious diseases, especially those diseases that appear in warm areas and are spread by mosquitoes and other insects. The IPCC has remarked that the global population at risk from vector-borne malaria will increase by 220 million to 400 million in the next century. While most of the increase is expected to occur in Africa, some increased risk is projected in Britain, Australia, India and Portugal.
(4) Air Quality - Climate change is expected to contribute to problems with deteriorating air quality. Respiratory disorders will likely be exacerbated by an increase in the frequency of smog and particulate air pollution. Ground-level ozone can damage lung tissue, and is especially harmful for those with asthma and other chronic lung diseases.
(5) Peak Oil & The Cost of Energy – The costs of producing pharmaceuticals are at risk of rising sharply because of the extreme costs of development and transportation of medicine which is highly dependent on oil. A recent London Metropolitan University report stated, "There is a real and urgent need to address the way healthcare is organised, administered as well as to reduce the amount of energy that healthcare consumes."
