See how climate change affects health

The world is increasingly facing catastrophic events in an unorganized and unprecedented manner, affecting several regions in Brazil, see the current floods in Rio Grande do Sul. Even with the Paris Agreement, signed by 196 countries in 2015, to create a series of measures, there is still more we need to follow to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Dr. Evaldo Stanislao, Ambassador in the fields of Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Health and Precision Medicine at Inspirali (Medical Education Ecosystem), the increase in temperature puts lives at risk and leads to very serious consequences.

“Climate change leads to changes in the structure of the entire terrestrial ecosystem, ocean waters, species diversity and, unfortunately, also negatively affects diseases. An environment that is harmful to everyone’s health is created. One example of this is increased pollution, which will only lead to Increased incidence of cardiovascular problems, allergies and cancer.

The expert explains that with temperatures rising since 2019, countries have already begun to feel the impact of climate change, with 5 million deaths linked to this phenomenon. You Young They are the ones who are likely to suffer the most from these changes. “Those born in the 2000s will be more vulnerable to climate change. My children and grandchildren will suffer much more, being seven times more exposed to these events.

The impact of climate change on public health

In addition to the previously mentioned effects, the doctor warns of the increase in infectious and communicable diseases. “The hot temperature contributes to the migration of agents whose resistance increases. Diseases that were previously considered extinct are reappearing, such as malaria, cholera, measles and others. We will face the arrival of new agents and new epidemics,” says Dr. Evaldo Stanislao.

According to the doctor, all the movement caused by the climate crisis increases the transmission of infection Diseases. “Greenhouse gases are heating the oceans, melting ice, raising sea levels, and generating extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, and heat. Pumping salt water where there was only fresh water, migrating people and animals, and the food production chain,” he warns. All this encourages the increase and creation of new customers.

The consequences don’t stop there. In the case of dengue fever, for example, the doctor explains that climate change helps mosquitoes breed. “[…] At these higher temperatures, they are able to reproduce better, increasing their life cycle, voraciousness and behavior. We have, for example, the mutations suffered by dengue fever. He explained that the higher the temperature, the more disease vectors and the more diseases.

The role of healthcare professionals

According to the Healthcare Climate Footprint, the healthcare sector is responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Some measures contribute to changing this scenario, such as proper disposal of materials, handling of hospital waste, improvement of processes and commitment to conscientious suppliers.

“Educating professionals can lead to more sustainable clinical practices, and we will only see recurring gains from this […]“, says Dr. Evaldo Stanislao, who believes that there is hope if we join forces and that there is much that can be achieved as technology advances.

“We are already used to overcoming health challenges. With sanitation, Serum And antibiotics, we’ve seen a huge increase in life expectancy, which used to be 40 years and is now 80 years. “People are dying less from infectious diseases, except for Covid, which has upset the balance,” the doctor says.

According to him, it is necessary to create climate resilience, as it is now possible to predict what is coming. “We, in health care, are agents of change. We have the power to persuade and use our credibility to talk about climate change and health. We have to step out of the inertia and watch because we are champions.”

Written by Juliana Antunes