A new report from the World Health Organization says we aren’t prepared enough for the mental and physical health risks caused by climate change. The study, titled the WHO Health and Climate Change Survey Report, took survey data from 101 countries and assessed the impact of climate-related events on residents’ health. The results were disheartening.
Although the countries could identify climate-related risks like “heat stress, injury, or death from extreme weather events, food, water, and vector-borne diseases (such as cholera, dengue, or malaria),” only 48% have actually conducted an assessment to predict how the changing climate can harm public health. Furthermore, despite the assessment, at least 60% of those countries were still unprepared to protect the health of their citizens. Only 38% had the means to partially implement a plan of action. Less than 10% could afford to fully fund a plan.
This is bad news. Extreme weather events caused by climate change — such as flooding, tropical storms, uncontrollable wildfires, and record-breaking heatwaves — can more easily spread diseases and threaten the world’s food supply. And the damage isn’t just physical; the report noted that depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues can arise from the trauma of experiencing a climate-related disaster.