The Cost of Inaction
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Washington, DC: World Bank
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Climate change is impacting human
health in myriad ways, including by increasing the frequency
of extreme weather events, the emergence and spread of
infectious diseases, and disruptions to food systems. The
impacts of climate change on health—already profound—are
only expected to worsen over time. Not only will the number
of diseases and deaths from climate-sensitive health risks
increase, but so too will the geographical range of these
diseases. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are
expected to face a disproportionate burden of these impacts
due to their higher levels of poverty and income inequality,
and weak healthcare systems. With growing recognition that
the climate crisis is a health crisis, the international
community has expressed urgent calls for action on climate
and health. The response of the health community and
researchers has been largely focused on studying the link
between climate change and health. A limited number of
studies have established empirical links between climate
conditions and the number of cases of different
diseases in specific national (or subnational) contexts,
particularly focusing on vector-borne and waterborne
diseases. In addition, few studies have aimed to assess the
economic cost associated with the health impacts of
projected climate change. This report aims to address the
existing knowledge gap and provide a deeper understanding of
the interconnection between climate and health, in terms of
the risks to human health and the economic burden of these
risks. Specifically, it provides a quantitative assessment
of the potential impacts of climate change based on the
number of cases and the number of deaths resulting from
selected vector- and water-borne diseases, stunting, and
extreme heat. An assessment of the economic cost of climate
change on health (in terms of both morbidity and mortality)
is also provided. The analysis covers 69 LMICs with national populations exceeding
10 million people in the base year 2020. These 69 countries
comprise 96 percent of the tota population of all LMICs.
Palabras clave
CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH, HEALTH CRISIS, LMICs