Climate Change and Human Health: Who’s Most at Risk? | US EPA (2024)

FAQs

Climate Change and Human Health: Who’s Most at Risk? | US EPA? ›

Who is most at risk from the impacts of climate change? Everyone will be affected by climate change, but some people may be more affected than others. Among the most vulnerable people are those in overburdened, underserved, and economically distressed communities.

Children face greater risks from pollution worsened by climate change than adults. Their lungs and their bodies' defenses are still developing, and they breathe more air per pound than adults. Because they often spend more time outdoors, kids also breathe more polluted air than adults do for their size.

Individuals with outdoor occupations may be at greater risk of negative health consequences of extreme heat. Persons with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may be more sensitive to air pollution. Older adults with limited mobility are less likely to adapt or physically respond to an extreme weather event.

Climate change presents a fundamental threat to human health. It affects the physical environment as well as all aspects of both natural and human systems – including social and economic conditions and the functioning of health systems.

Climate change affects everyone

A warming climate will bring changes that can affect our water supplies, agriculture, power and transportation systems, the natural environment, and even our own health and safety.

The UN estimates that 80% of the people displaced by climate change are women.

Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

These include low-income households, communities of color, those experiencing homelessness, and immigrant populations. Many of these groups live in urban areas that are prone to extreme heat (urban heat islands).

Children are vulnerable to many health risks due to biological sensitivities and more opportunities for exposure (due to activities such as playing outdoors). Pregnant women are vulnerable to heat waves and other extreme events, like flooding. Older adults are vulnerable to many of the impacts of climate change.

People who are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than others include for example people with low incomes, indigenous peoples, women, children, the elderly.

Who is the biggest health threat facing humanity? ›

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, and health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis.

Today, both Democrats and Republicans identify China as the greatest threat facing the country, but there are nonetheless significant partisan and ideological differences on this question.

The greatest threat to our environment is none other than man himself.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) creates and enforces laws designed to protect the environment and human health. 4 As part of their mission, they seek to ensure that Americans have a clean environment, including the air, water, and land they use and enjoy.

We don't protect the environment on our own. We work with businesses, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments through dozens of partnerships. A few examples include conserving water and energy, minimizing greenhouse gases, re-using solid waste, and getting a handle on pesticide risks.

The health effects of climate change include respiratory and heart diseases, pest-related diseases like Lyme disease and West Nile Virus, water- and food-related illnesses, and injuries and deaths. Climate change has also been linked to increases in violent crime and overall poor mental health.

For example, people living on floodplains, coastlines, or in areas prone to severe storms are more vulnerable to extreme weather. Those living in poverty may be less able to prepare for or respond to extreme events. As a result, these individuals are expected to have greater impacts from climate-related hazards.

Extreme heat and other effects of rising greenhouse gas emissions are more harmful to women, gender-diverse people, and Black, Indigenous and people of color. Climate change is worsening a wide range of health outcomes like heat-related illness, vector-borne diseases, asthma, allergies, malnutrition and mental health.

The super-rich—the top 1 percent of global population by income—bear their own responsibility for climate change. Beyond the carbon footprint of their rich and famous lifestyles, so called “carbon billionaires” are making significant financial investments into wealthy corporate polluters, according to Oxfam research.

It can have a bigger impact on vulnerable groups such as women, the elderly, religious minorities and refugees than on others. People living in poverty: Climate change disproportionally affects poor people in low-income communities and developing countries around the world.