The negative effects of climate change are usually discussed on a macro level, but studies show it also impacts personal health and well-being.
It seems that no part of life is going untouched by climate change. Of course, it is already well-known that the climate is rapidly changing around the world, and as a result, many environmental systems are collapsing or shifting dramatically from what they have been in the past. Even those familiar with the basics of climate change, however, might be surprised to learn that the shifting climate is also directly causing negative health effects in countless people around the globe.
While climate change is certainly causing negative health effects around the world, the study in question here was performed in the region of Vancouver, B.C. With well over one million people living in this part of Canada, there are certainly plenty of individuals to be harmed by the changes in the environment. Some of the issues that are anticipated to take place with increasing regularity include poor air quality, ongoing droughts, extreme heat, powerful storms, and more. Each of these has the potential to impact human health in various ways, but they can all be particularly harmful.
There are already examples of the effects of climate change taking a very serious toll on humans. For example, in 2021, there was a “heat dome” event in the area that played a role in the death of as many as 145 people just in the Vancouver region alone. It is estimated that well over 600 died throughout the province of British Columbia during that event. This is just one example of how climate and weather can lead to death among human populations.
The ideal solution to this problem is to address climate change head-on, finding ways to reverse much of what has already happened and change current patterns so more damage is not incurred moving forward. Short of that, there are intermediate recommendations that can at least help to protect human health when inevitable weather events come along.
At-risk populations need to have access to cooling spaces when it is particularly hot, or warming spaces when it is particularly cold. Also, plenty of green space should be included in neighborhood designs, and adding as many trees as possible offers a canopy and protection from the heat. Also, placing an emphasis on public transportation could help to get cars off the streets and reduce carbon emissions in some of the biggest cities in the world.
Perhaps the impact of climate change on personal health will start to get the attention of even more people that this is a problem worth taking very seriously at all levels of government and beyond. It’s unfortunate that it may require people getting sick to grab enough attention to enact meaningful change, but it seems like that is the path that the world is on at this moment. Hopefully, the impacts of climate change will become obvious to enough people that the overwhelming majority of the population will start to demand radical changes before it’s too late.
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