Climate Change: a silent but yet the biggest health crisis

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. José Diogo Soares, a recently graduated medical doctor from Portugal. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Non-communicable diseases. Pandemics and infectious diseases. Mental health disorders. Antimicrobial resistance. Tobacco use and other lifestyle choices – these are the biggest health threats highlighted by a group of junior doctors from Portugal. And they are not wrong. These issues pose significant threats to global health, both now and in the future, and should be at the forefront of our policies priorities. 

“But what about Climate Change?” – I asked. The junior doctors could not directly correlate climate change to health outcomes and did not consider it the biggest threat. However, as part of nearly 40% of the world’s population that suffers from allergies, some of them have noticed their allergies worsening earlier and more intensely each year. Some of them vividly recall the unpredictable floods that devastated parts of Germany and Belgium during the summer of 2021. Some of them acknowledge the connection between their migraines and increasingly erratic weather patterns and deteriorating air quality. But interestingly, none of them identified Climate Change as the biggest health threat.

“But what about Climate Change?” – I asked. The junior doctors could not directly correlate climate change to health outcomes and did not consider it the biggest threat. However, as part of nearly 40% of the world’s population that suffers from allergies, some of them have noticed their allergies worsening earlier and more intensely each year. Some of them vividly recall the unpredictable floods that devastated parts of Germany and Belgium during the summer of 2021. Some of them acknowledge the connection between their migraines and increasingly erratic weather patterns and deteriorating air quality. But interestingly, none of them identified Climate Change as the biggest health threat.

Actually, the environment’s influence on our health is deeply rooted, but the awareness of this connection remains limited. This is due to limited available resources to educate both patients and healthcare professionals about climate change. This knowledge gap results in patients adopting unsustainable and unhealthy lifestyles, like, not fully understanding the health and environmental benefits of a vegetarian diet.  For doctors, in their daily clinical practice, this knowledge gap can make it challenging to comprehend certain health issues and its linkage to environmental factors. For instance, the connection between respiratory diseases exacerbations and periods of heightened air pollution, or the increased incidence of heart attacks during heatwaves is still underreported.

Another obstacle in connecting climate change to health lies in the lack of perception of climate change effects, due to the long-term and subtle modifications on the planet. This makes its impact on health less immediate and not easily perceivable, in comparison to something like a common cold. However, climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which have more immediate and observable consequences. Nevertheless, directly attributing these events solely to climate change remains challenging.

All of these leads to an underestimation of the climate change’s impact on health, which deprioritizes mitigation and adaption actions against this threat. Neglecting a threat of this magnitude can result in even bigger and worse consequences, making it arguably the biggest threat humanity has ever faced.

It is us against ourselves and our own planet. Urgent action is needed. Incorporating climate change into all health-related and non-related policies. Including it in the medical curricula and capacity-building programs for healthcare professionals. Making it a fundamental component of health literacy principles and patient awareness campaigns. Only by taking these actions can we build resilient healthcare systems, capable workforces, and a prepared society to face the health consequences of climate change. With these efforts, we hope to see climate change recognized as the biggest health threat humanity faces, at least among the healthcare community.

About the author

José Diogo Soares is a recently graduated medical doctor from Portugal. He was part of the Portuguese Medical Students Association (ANEM), as National Public Health Officer, in 2022, where he developed projects, capacity-building sessions, policies and advocacy in Climate Change and Health, Mental Health and Non-communicable Diseases. He is currently Program Coordinator for Environment and Health for the IFMSA, supporting medical students worldwide to develop projects in topics like Climate Change, Air Pollution and Healthcare sustainability and contributing to the IFMSA’s policies on Urban Health and Healthy Cities, Climate Change and Pollution.