Climate change impact on health, the rising challenge

Climate change is causing extreme weather events that directly affect people's health, increasing psychological distress, post-traumatic stress, and depression.

Exposure to high temperatures and air pollution also worsen health problems, and facilitate the spread of disease.

1. Extreme meteorological events and the direct consequences on people.

2. Air pollution and its impact on the respiratory system.

3. Spread of infectious diseases, and proliferation of pathogenic micro-organisms.

4. Spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria.

5. Increased hospital admissions, annoyance, depression, dehydration, sleep disturbance, and mental health problems during heat waves.

Other direct and indirect impacts on people's health related to climate change will become increasingly common, and we must be prepared to deal with them. According to the United Nations, in the last 20 years, heatwave deaths have increased by 30% in most of Europe.