By Yoonje (Philip) Song
Abstract
The growing impacts of climate change create significant threats to public health, disproportionally affecting vulnerable populations, including low-income communities, elderlies, children, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions. As climate-induced events, such as extreme heat, rising sea levels, and natural disasters become more frequent, public health systems face greater challenges. This paper examines current health system gaps that hinder the ability to manage climate-related health impacts, particularly for at-risk groups, identifying key challenges and possible solutions. The paper advocates for strengthened climate-resilient public health infrastructure and climate-related public health policies.
Introduction
Over the years, climate-related events have increased in frequency and intensity. In fact, climate-related events, such as extreme weather, wildfires, and floods, pose significant challenges to public health systems worldwide (Pavola, 2017), and vulnerable populations are disproportionally influenced by these events. Climate-related disasters not only exacerbate physical health issues, such as the spread of infectious diseases and heat-related illnesses, but also lead to long-lasting mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Although public health systems have put effort into mollifying the impacts, there remain substantial gaps in addressing the unique needs of vulnerable populations.
Historically, public health responses to climate-related events have predominantly focused on immediate care, such as emergency medical care and allocation of basic provisions. Yet these responses are often short-term interventions, overlooking the long-term health implications on individuals. Furthermore, vulnerable populations often face even more significant barriers to accessing adequate healthcare due to factors such as socioeconomic inequality, lack of infrastructure, and limited health services.
Despite the growing evidence connecting climate change and adverse health effects, particularly in vulnerable populations, existing research remains insufficient due to regional variability and methodological differences; therefore, targeted, multidisciplinary research and collaborative works are essential to alleviate these gaps and develop effective, equitable public health responses to climate-related health risks.
Ultimately, this paper aims to scrutinize the current approaches to managing the health impacts of climate-related events, identify the critical gaps in these responses, and propose strategies for improvement. By exploring how public health systems can ameliorate to support vulnerable populations, through a qualitative review of various findings, the research intends to contribute to a more encouraging and equitable public health system in the epoch of climate change.
Literature Review & Results
Research has increasingly highlighted how climate-related events exacerbate health disparities, particularly in vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries (Bush et al., 2009). For instance, countries with minimal contribution to global emissions face severe climate-related health challenges such as increased heat stress, air pollution, and vector-borne diseases (Bush et al., 2009). These findings highlight the urgency to address region-specific health risks and improve monitoring systems.
Climate-related extreme weather events, such as heat waves, hurricanes, and floods, directly affect human health, particularly in urban areas with dense populations. For example, data from the 2008 Indo-U.S Workshop on Climate Change and Health identified heat stress and air pollution as primary concerns in India. Studies identify that the lack of robust environmental monitoring systems in low and middle-income countries limits the ability to respond to threats adequately (Bush et al., 2009).
Ecosystem disruptions, caused by climate change, lead to indirect health consequences such as food insecurity, waterborne diseases, and mental health challenges. These impacts accumulate over time, particularly in urban populations (Jurgilevich et al., 2023). However, current public health frameworks often overlook such long-term consequences. Research highlights the need for a socio-ecological systems approach, combining urban planning with public health to mitigate the challenges.
The delayed consequences of climate change, or the deferred health impacts, include issues like slow-onset mental health effects due to displacement or cumulative exposure to living conditions that deteriorate people. Addressing these impacts requires anticipatory planning and long-term adaptation strategies, particularly for urban populations in low-resource settings (Jurgilevich et al., 2023).
Both pieces of research emphasize that without further research on indirect and delayed impacts, adaptation efforts will remain fragmented, highlighting the importance of combining insights from public health, environmental science, and urban planning to effectively protect vulnerable communities.
Analysis
The findings from Bush et al. and Jurgilevich et al. reveal critical gaps in public health systems, particularly in low and middle-income countries. The lack of environmental monitoring and data collection hinders the ability to respond effectively to climate-related health risks. This creates a deleterious cycle where vulnerable populations remain unprotected and health disparities get larger.
Furthermore, the over-reliance on generalized data and a “one-size-fits-all” approach to climate adaptation ignores the socio-ecological diversity across regions. For instance, in India, the unique climatic and demographic factors influencing India’s health outcomes are not often considered (Bush et al., 2009). Thus, failing to consider these variables results in ineffective public health mediation, exacerbating vulnerabilities.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has also researched the gaps and solutions in addressing climate change’s impact on public health. The report argues that public health is often dominated by the Western perspective. Therefore, it must adopt a more holistic, relational view, prioritizing respect for all life. One expert expressed, “If I could see one thing before my dying day, it would be public health along with so many other sectors embracing living in sacred reciprocity will all life as their prime directive… There wouldn’t be expendable people… we would get our house in order” (Public Health Agency of Canada). Through this approach, public health would be able to move beyond risk management by addressing systematic challenges and altering systems to support both human and ecological health in meaningful ways.
Experts advocate for multidisciplinary approaches in public health decision-making, incorporating diverse expertise. Traditionally, public health has significantly relied on quantitative research. However, public health must “move beyond its existing paradigm,” experts argue, by including social sciences, indigenous perspectives, and diverse community knowledge. One participant noted that “public health needs to be multidisciplinary… to have historians, anthropologists, Indigenous elders, black elders” (Public Health Agency of Canada).
Another key recommendation stated is the collaborative spaces for knowledge exchange. Experts emphasized “Two-Eyed Seeing,” blending Indigenous and Western perspectives, to foster mutual understanding and collaborative learning (Public Health Agency of Canada). One expert states, “Two-Eyed Seeing … teaches us that … ultimately there are these places where we can have conversations where we learn.” Public health can benefit by creating relationships and putting adequate time and space into community-led communication.
Training and resources are also crucial for adapting public health education to climate change challenges. Many programs lack training on ecological determinants of health, Indigenous public health, and the impacts of climate change. One expert stated that “one of the first immediate steps is to ensure that public health professionals are being trained … they’re not even being trained … not even in the curriculum” (Public Health Agency of Canada). This highlights that there is a gap that leaves graduates ill-prepared for climate-related challenges. Experts suggest that participatory and solutions-orienting training is important to build climate resilience and strengthen the public health workforce.
Furthermore, experts advocate for localized experts. They recommend adjusting the system to reflect community needs by tracking localized climate hazards, from airy quality during wildlife events to mental health effects of isolation, challenging the one-size-fits-all approach. One expert explained that they are “hoping to expand [surveillance] … to other things that might impact … mental health events, emergency room visits due to substance use … when people might be isolated from their communities,” advocating location-based interventions created for diverse populations (Public Health Agency of Canada).
The report promotes accountability measures to ensure that decision-makers are responsible for climate impacts on health. One expert highlighted the need for consequences for inaction, saying, “They should have accountability for those decisions… by denying the relevance of health in those decisions, it undermines the idea that we should be looking at the health consequences of climate change” (Public Health Agency of Canada). Alongside the responsibility, funding, such as the HealthADAPT program, is essential to support climate-health initiatives. Public health leaders emphasized that the research allocation allows for consistent climate resilience, instead of shifting focus due to funding scarcity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, despite increasing attention to the intersections between climate change and public health, critical gaps exist in addressing the issue. The study examined the key areas that require attention as gaps remain, such as the absence of comprehensive monitoring and data collection, insufficient region-specific research, and limited focus on indirect and long-term health impacts.
Ultimately, this study highlights the need for a holistic, inclusive, and responsive approach. By incorporating multiple actions such as the decolonization of public health, multidisciplinary approaches, collaborative knowledge exchange, training and resource allocation, and localized, community-specific monitoring, public health systems can better protect individuals when facing climate-related challenges. The public health system has the potential to not only address current vulnerabilities but also build a healthier, more resilient future.
References
Bush, K. F., Luber, G., Kotha, S. R., Dhaliwal, R. S., Kapil, V., Pascual, M., Brown, D. G., Frumkin, H., Dhiman, R. C., Hess, J., Wilson, M. L., Balakrishnan, K., Eisenberg, J., Kaur, T., Rood, R., Batterman, S., Joseph, A., Gronlund, C. J., Agrawal, A., & Hu, H. (2011). Impacts of Climate Change on Public Health in India: Future Research Directions. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119(6), 765–770. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1003000
Jurgilevich, A., Käyhkö, J., Räsänen, A., Pörsti, S., Lagström, H., Käyhkö, J., & Juhola, S. (2023). Factors influencing vulnerability to climate change-related health impacts in cities - a conceptual framework. Environment International, 107837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107837
Paavola, J. (2017). Health Impacts of Climate Change and Health and Social Inequalities in the UK. Environmental Health, 16(S1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0328-z
What We Heard: Perspectives on Climate Change and Public Health in Canada. (2023, April 17). Www.canada.ca.https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/publications/chief-public-health-officer-reports-state-public-health-canada/state-public-health-canada-2022/what-we-heard-perspectives-climate-change.html
