Climate Change and Your Health

Climate change isn’t just a distant, environmental concern — it’s impacting our health and wellness every day at a local level.

What Is Climate Change?

Climate change refers to significant changes in weather patterns over a long period of time. Increasing temperatures and more frequent, dangerous weather events such as flooding, droughts, heat waves, and severe storms can all be tied to climate change. Although climate change has occurred naturally for centuries, human activities — especially the burning of fossil fuels — have significantly accelerated its effects.

Health Risks on the Rise

Air Pollution:

Climate change negatively affects the quality of the air due to the presence of particulate matter and ozone gas. According to the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” 2024 report, 131.2 million people in the U.S. live in areas with failing grades for ozone and particle pollution.

• Particulate Matter: Tiny particles of dust, dirt, soot, and smoke in the air that can irritate the lungs and cause a variety of respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis, among other lung diseases and health problems.
• Ozone Gas: Ground-level ozone, which forms when fumes released from cars, power plants, and industrial facilities chemically react to sunlight, can harm our health. Unlike the protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, ground-level ozone can cause chest pains, coughing, and throat irritation and can worsen respiratory issues.

Food and Water Quality:

Climate change brings higher temperatures and more extreme weather events like floods and droughts. Higher temperatures speed up bacteria growth, while floods and droughts disrupt the balance of pathogens in water.

• Water Quality: Increased precipitation causes harmful pollutants like sediments, pathogens, and pesticides to seep into our water supply. Drought only worsens the situation as higher temperatures increase evaporation, and access to safe water decreases even more. According to the United Nations, less than 1% of the water on Earth is usable and available freshwater.
• Foodborne Illnesses: Changes in our environment affect the presence of pathogens, like bacteria and viruses, in our food. Warmer air and water temperatures provide an ideal environment for pathogens to thrive, increasing the risk of infections from bacteria such as Salmonella, E. Coli, and Campylobacter. According to the World Health Organization, unsafe food is responsible for 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420,000 deaths each year.

To avoid these risks, get your water from a filtered source, wash produce thoroughly before consuming it, and cook all meats to the right temperature.

Mental Health:

The mental health effects of climate change are just as important as the physical ones. Floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and other severe weather events can cause trauma and anxiety. According to the American Psychological Association, survivors of California’s 2018 Camp Fire — one of the most destructive fires in the state’s history — experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at rates comparable to war veterans. Lower-income communities are particularly vulnerable, as natural disasters could significantly limit access to food, water, and shelter. Living in an unpredictable climate impacts everyone, especially those who are at higher risk of being affected. It’s important to seek help and support if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

How to Help

There’s a variety of things you can do in your community to combat climate change.

1. Stay Informed: It’s important to track air quality and weather reports so you can take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
2. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Reducing car travel by carpooling and using rideshare platforms, recycling, and using energy-efficient appliances are just some of the ways you can help make a difference.
3. Get Involved: Trash clean-ups, tree planting, and utilizing community gardens are all great ways to make a positive impact locally.
4. Spread the Word: Educating your family, friends, colleagues, and community on how climate change directly impacts our health can help us to make informed decisions on how to change small things that make big impacts.

The Future Needs Us

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects us all. By understanding what it is and how it affects us daily, we can inform others and make more conscious decisions to help the environment and our health.