Building Economic Resilience to the Health Impacts of Climate Change 2025

1.1 The impact of climate change on health Climate change is already impacting population health. Climate change is not just an environmental concern – it is also a health issue. Chronic climate stressors undermine the foundations of good health (e.g. clean air, safe water, stable temperatures, sufficient food, secure shelter), while extreme weather events directly threaten health. Without adaptation, these stressors could result in 14.5 million excess deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses by 2050.10 Figure 1 lists 10 critical population health outcomes identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) that are expected to worsen with climate change. How climate affects population health outcomes FIGURE 1 Vulnerability and social risk factors Social determinants of health Pregnancy and parenting Age, gender and biological factorsSystems resilience Air pollutionWater scarcity Community inclusion and practicesEcosystem decline Migration and displacementClimate risk factors Population health outcomesExtreme weather events Injury and mortality Heat-related illness Vector-borne diseases Food-borne illness Respiratory illness Mental health disorders Zoonotic diseases Water-related illness Malnutrition Non-communicable diseasesExtreme heat Sea level rise Source: World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Climate change and health: vulnerability and adaptation assessment. 6 Building Economic Resilience to the Health Impacts of Climate Change