Effects of Climate Change on Community Health

Climate change affects human health in a variety of ways. Extreme changes in the weather and environment can increase existing health problems, as well as creating new ones. Most climate change predictions show an upward trend in temperature for at least the next nine decades.

Rural communities whose health and livelihoods depend on the environment are more vulnerable to climate change. In recent years, persistent droughts have made some communities in Nigeria to be vulnerable to some diseases. A number of researches have been done on it but despite this, the climate change continues to rake havoc in our environment. For instance, extremes in weather and temperature, increased pollution and environmental toxins, and changes in food security can all cause physical and mental health problems.

Climate change can also contribute to migration, as factors such as drought and plummeting fish stocks can lead rural populations to move into urban centers.

Extreme weather and natural disasters can be traumatic and stressful for the people whom they affect. People may undergo displacement, injury, the loss of their home and possessions, or the loss of loved ones.

Extreme heat may also have a more significant effect on people with mental health conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide rates can increase with higher temperatures. The CDC has suggested that climate change and higher temperatures have a negative effect on depression and other mental health conditions. Additionally, extreme temperatures can also change how certain medications, such as schizophrenia treatments, work in the body. In addition, they may affect people’s ability to regulate their body temperature correctly.

Based on the above, most experts in the environmental health have recommended global efforts to better tackle climate change through an integrated Solitary Health approach that brings together sectors such as agriculture, health and the environment.