HomeHealth TopicsPoisoning Toxicology Environmental HealthClimate Change
Back to Poisoning Toxicology Environmental Health
Climate Change
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Poisoning Toxicology Environmental Health

Climate Change

Climate change refers to significant, long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns that are increasingly impacting human health.

Overview

Climate is the average weather in a place over a period of time. Climate change is a major change in temperature, rainfall, snow, or wind patterns lasting for many years. It can be caused by natural factors or by human activities. Today, climate changes are occurring at an increasingly rapid rate.

Health Impacts

Climate change can affect our health in several ways, including:

  • More heat-related illness and deaths.
  • Increased levels of pollen, mold, and air pollution, which can lead to more allergies, asthma, and breathing problems.
  • The spread of mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases into areas that were previously too cold for them.
  • More floods and rising sea levels, which can increase the contamination of food and water.
  • More extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and wildfires, which can cause death, injuries, stress, and mental health problems.

Research and Mitigation

Researchers are currently studying the best ways to lessen climate change and reduce its impact on our health.

Frequently Asked Questions

Older adults, infants, outdoor workers, and people with cardiovascular, chronic kidney, or respiratory illnesses are most vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heatstroke. In addition, common medications impair thermal regulation or hydration, including diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and anticholinergic psychotropic drugs. Patients on these regimens require close monitoring and access to air-conditioned spaces during heat waves.
Milder winters and prolonged warm seasons expand the geographic ranges and active breeding periods of ticks and mosquitoes. This pattern accelerates the transmission of vector-borne conditions such as Lyme disease, West Nile virus, dengue, and anaplasmosis into higher latitudes and elevations where populations have little baseline immunity and healthcare providers may be less accustomed to recognizing early symptoms.
Rising atmospheric temperatures and elevated carbon dioxide stimulate plants to produce larger quantities of pollen with higher allergenicity over extended seasons. Concurrently, increased frequency of extreme rainfall promotes indoor mold growth, while stagnant heat waves trap ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter from wildfires, creating severe airway inflammation and precipitating frequent asthma exacerbations.
Surviving events like wildfires, hurricanes, and severe floods significantly elevates the incidence of acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, and complicated grief due to property loss or community displacement. Prolonged ecological disruptions such as chronic drought can also trigger persistent environmental distress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, particularly among agricultural and coastal populations.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

kontakt@hittavard.se

Ⓒ 2024. Alla rättigheter förbehålls av juxt ab

Sök
Om ossVillkor och policyVanliga frågorKontakta oss