Health Impacts of Climate Change

Climate change is likely to increase the incidence of cataracts, severe allergic eye disease, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, trachoma infections, vitamin A deficiency, and eye injuries.

Public health is being impacted by climate change via many pathways: from alterations in infectious disease transmission to water-source compromise, malnutrition, air pollution, and other factors. This Tedx talk by Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, son of Arnall Patz, MD, the discoverer of ROP, includes recent analyses that show how mitigating global warming provides extensive health opportunities, as well as major savings in healthcare costs.

The AAO and ASCRS are members of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. The mission of the Consortium, launched in 2016, is to organize, empower, mobilize, and amplify the voices of US doctors. In partnership with public health experts and fellow health professionals, the Consortium advocates for equitable climate solutions that protect and promote the health of all people.

Despite the omnipresence of plastics in our everyday lives, there is surprisingly little data on its impact on human health. This sweeping report details the distinct risks posed by each step of the complex plastic lifecycle. For instance, in extracting and refining fossil fuels for plastic production, highly toxic chemicals are released, including known carcinogens and substances hazardous to reproductive and developmental health. Plastic waste management processes, like incineration, expose workers and neighboring communities to lead, mercury, acid gases, and organic chemicals with harmful consequences. Tackling the plastic pollution crisis demands a global, transparent approach, prioritizing the right to a healthy life and environment. Effective solutions must focus on reducing the production, use, and disposal of plastic and its associated toxic chemicals.

Climate change and increased pollution will have a profound and mostly harmful effect on human health. This review brings together international experts to describe both the direct (such as heat waves) and indirect (such as vector-borne disease incidence) health impacts of climate change. These impacts vary depending on vulnerability (i.e., existing diseases) and the international, economic, political, and environmental context. This unique review also expands on these issues to address a third category of potential longer-term impacts on global health: famine, population dislocation, and environmental justice and education.