Why does India need climate-resilient health initiatives in combating the negative impact of global warming on health disparities?

The United Nations General Assembly declared June 5 as World Environment Day in 1972, to commemorate the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Last week marks the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, reaffirming the world’s commitment to environmental protection. The increasing risks that climate change poses to public health have prompted an urgent need for climate change resilient health programmes in India. 

How is climate change becoming a global threat to human sustainability?

The issue of climate change in general is interconnected with 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), even though the 13th SDG specifically calls for climate action. Unquestionably a major global threat to human sustainability in the twenty-first century is climate change. The last eight years have been the warmest on record, according to data from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which showed that the world was 1.15 0.13 °C warmer than the pre-industrial era (1850–1900) average. Over the past 30 years of the satellite altimeter data, the sea level has increased by 3.4 +/- 0.3 mm year. Since records began, the glaciers have been losing mass almost annually.

Global warming has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as cold and heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and storms. The objectives of sustainable development in general and population health in particular are negatively impacted by these events, both directly and indirectly. The process of global climate change, which is mostly fueled by unsustainable production, use, and distribution of resources, is changing the climate patterns of our world. The atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gasses represent an equilibrium between emissions from unsustainable products and consumptions, which are also significantly influenced by the unequal distribution of resources “within” and “between” countries. 

Climate change and health implications

Climate change has repercussions for many aspects of human life, including agricultural productivity, water supply, opportunity disparity, population displacement, natural disaster hazard, and so on. Climate change and its multi-layer and multi-level impacts have a cumulative impact on health. Non-optimal temperatures were responsible for 5 million deaths worldwide each year, accounting for 9.5% of all deaths. Furthermore, according to the 2015 global burden of disease study, pollution is responsible for 16% of all fatalities worldwide, as well as a $46 trillion economic loss each year. 

Air pollution is one of the major environmental risk factors among all types of pollution, and it is thought to be responsible for almost 7 million premature deaths each year. Leading contributors to air pollution include burning of fossil fuels, burning of solid waste, deforestation, industrial processes, and agricultural practices. Nine out of ten people, according to the WHO, are exposed to greater pollution levels in the air. 

The effects of climate change on people’s health are significant. As demonstrated by the disastrous heat waves in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, direct consequences like heat waves can be fatal. The vulnerability of already marginalized groups has been made worse by extreme weather disasters including cyclones, floods, and droughts, which have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.

Who are the vulnerable populations?

When it comes to pollution and environmental change, India is no exception. The country has one of the highest levels of PM2.5 in the world, and 21 of the 30 most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5. According to the State of Global Air Report 2020, roughly 1.7 million premature deaths in the country were caused by home and ambient air pollution in 2019. Furthermore, the economic loss caused by air pollution in the country in 2019 accounted for 1.36% of the nation’s GDP.

Everyone is impacted by the global catastrophe of climate change, but the poor and vulnerable people are particularly hard hit by its effects. Due to their scarce resources, socioeconomic disadvantages, and geographic location, these marginalized groups face the brunt of the effects of climate change. The lack of access to basic amenities like clean water, sanitary facilities, healthcare, and education for the poor increases their vulnerability to threats brought on by climate change. Extreme weather conditions including storms, droughts, and floods disproportionately harm the weak and impoverished. They frequently live in low-lying coastal areas or informal settlements, which puts them in a vulnerable position for eviction, property damage, and loss of livelihood.

Furthermore, these populations are strongly dependent on climate-sensitive industries like agriculture, fishery, and forestry, all of which are extremely vulnerable to changing weather patterns. They become trapped in a cycle of poverty as a result of crop failures, animal losses, and decreased yields, which cause food insecurity, hunger, and unstable economies. 

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has conducted research that indicates that key food crops in India produce less when exposed to air pollution. Public health will be severely impacted by the predicted increase in temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and melting of the Himalayan glaciers. India needs to act quickly to reduce these problems, adjust to them, and create a healthcare system that is adaptable to climate change.

Way forward for India 

Inequalities in health are already present, and a wide range of climate-related issues have a disproportionately negative impact on vulnerable people. Development and implementation of climate change-resilient health programmes and technological innovations are urgently needed to address these issues in an effective manner. Such initiatives ought to concentrate on bolstering healthcare infrastructure, enhancing disease surveillance systems, improving early warning systems for extreme weather events, encouraging research on the connections between climate change and human health, and increasing the capacity of healthcare professionals to address climate-related health risks. The scope of the health problems in India is enormous, based on the potential for climate change and variability to amplify endemic malaria, dengue, yellow fever, cholera, and chikungunya, as well as chronic diseases, in particular among the millions of people who already face poor sanitation, pollution, malnutrition, and a lack of drinking water.

It will be crucial for India to make investments in cutting-edge information infrastructure upgrades that encourage interdisciplinary cooperation as it implements adaptation plans. It will take unprecedented levels of cooperation across various institutions in India and outside to accomplish this. The information can be used in studies that take into account India’s different climates and demographics to examine the expected effects of climate change on health. Additionally, it is important to develop local human and technological resources for promoting adaptive behavior and communicating risks.

India can lessen the negative effects of climate change on its residents’ health, safeguard their wellbeing, and develop a sustainable and effective healthcare system that can adjust to the changing climate by giving climate resilience top priority in the health sector.

References:

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