The planet is getting hotter, and 2023 was no exception. In fact, in the 174 years since global temperatures have been documented, 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. Scientists overwhelmingly agree that climate change—predominately caused by human behaviors such as burning fossil fuels—is the reason most of our planet keeps getting hotter. Unfortunately, being uncomfortably hot isn’t the only troubling effect of a changing climate. From increases in infectious disease to forced displacement of millions of people, climate change is also putting our health at stake.
One significant concern is the rise in heat-related deaths. Between 1998 and 2018, 37 percent of heat-related deaths globally can be attributed to climate change. Heat exposure not only can cause heat-related injury and death but also may exacerbate underlying cardiac, respiratory, neurological, and metabolic (e.g., diabetes) conditions. Older adults are particularly affected by heat because the medications they often take and the chronic conditions they tend to have make it even harder for them to control their body temperature. In the past two decades, heat-related deaths in those over age 65 have risen by 70 percent, according to the World Health Organization.
Climate change also affects our food supply. Rising temperatures impact productivity, yield, and nutritional value of many of our crops, and increasing sea temperatures put fisheries at risk of collapse. Changing weather patterns raise the risk of foodborne illness because pathogens such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Campylobacter thrive in warm and humid conditions and may be able to expand their geographical presence.
In addition, flooding events and dust storms resulting from climate change can expose our crops to chemical pollutants and may increase the heavy metals in our food supply. Even our ability to occasionally partake in a champagne toast is at risk, as climate change threatens to wipe out specific types of grapes.
We also need to consider agricultural workers, who increasingly face severe heat-related illness, as well as exposure to more disease-carrying pests and exposure to pesticides aimed at reducing those pests. Heat-related stress and death are significantly higher for farmworkers than for all other U.S. civilian workers.
Then there is the effect of climate change on air quality. As a native Californian, I’m all too aware of the wildfires that have been increasing in frequency and duration in the western U.S.—and that have also been affecting other large swaths of the U.S. and world at large in recent years. Wildfires not only pose an immediate safety risk but also increase air pollution, which can lead to eye and respiratory tract irritation and have even more serious consequences such as exacerbation of asthma and heart failure caused by extra stress placed on the cardiovascular system. People over age 65, as well as young children, pregnant people, and agricultural workers, are especially vulnerable to smoke exposure.
Climate change is also associated with increased ground-level ozone. And warmer temperatures are to blame for rises in pollen and other airborne allergens due to longer pollen seasons and the magnitude of pollen being released. No, it’s not your imagination: Allergy season has gotten worse.
If all this talk about the health impacts of climate change is starting to raise your anxiety levels, consider this, too: Climate change affects our mental health, both directly and indirectly. Individuals who experience a climate-related disaster, such as a flood or wildfire, for example, have higher levels of depression and anxiety even years after the event. And such events have been associated with increased use of alcohol and tobacco. Higher temperatures have also been linked to an increase in violent crime and suicides. Even people who don’t directly experience a climate-related disaster may have increased anxiety about the impact of climate change on our lives and future generations.
Feeling concerned about climate change is valid—and an important factor in motivating us to make changes. That is, we need not, and should not, simply throw our hands up in resignation. Globally, since the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments around the world have made substantial progress in reducing climate-related pollution, and global temperatures are on a less worrisome path than they were a decade ago. There has been a significant increase in electric vehicle sales and in solar panel usage, and in the U.S., we are on track to see a 23 percent reduction in climate-related pollution between 2022 and 2030, in large part due to new laws promoting solar and wind industries.
On an individual level, we can continue to move our planet in the right direction—and concomitantly improve our health—by transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle, which includes driving less (and walking and cycling more), following a plant-based diet, using energy-efficient appliances at home, and reducing our reliance on single-use plastics. We can advocate with our leaders, locally and globally, to take serious steps toward improving our planet’s health and longevity. Action and advocacy on climate change not only improve our planet but also may collectively reduce our stress and anxiety. And, with everything else going on in our world, from divisive politics to war, that is something all of us can use.
