Climate Change and Human Health: The Need for Urgent Medical and Policy Action

Climate change is an escalating global crisis with direct and indirect consequences for human health. Rising global temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, extreme weather events, and declining air quality are directly and indirectly impacting human health. The medical community must recognize climate change as not merely an ecological crisis, but as a determinant of disease burden and health inequity. Urgent medical and policy actions are indispensable to avert catastrophic impacts and promote health equity.

Climate Change and Health: A Growing Burden

Health impacts of climate change are multifaceted: 

• Vector-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue, and chikungunya are expanding their geographic range due to shifting temperature and rainfall patterns.
• Heat waves have become more frequent and severe, contributing to heatstroke, cardiovascular events, and premature deaths, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children under five years of age, the elderly, and farmers or manual labourers who work outdoors.
• Air pollution and rising ground-level ozone exacerbate asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and allergic disorders.
• Climate-induced crop failures and declining agricultural productivity threaten nutritional security, especially in low- and middle-income countries. These health consequences disproportionately affect children, the elderly, low-income groups, and those in climate-vulnerable geographies, further widening health inequities.

Role of the Medical Community

• Health care itself must become climate-resilient, adopting sustainable practices to face the consequences of climate change.
• Health professionals can lead by example, advocate for policy reform, educate communities, and drive research for innovative adaptation strategies.
• Transformation of clinical, research, and health system practice is necessary to ensure sustainability and resilience.
• Medical curricula must integrate environmental health and climate resilience, equipping future physicians to handle emerging health challenges. At community level, physicians can play a crucial role in educating patients on preventive measures, from heatwave precautions to safe water practices during floods.

Recognizing the looming crisis, the Government of India launched the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) in 2019 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The program aims to build a climate-resilient healthcare system by:

• Capacity building of healthcare professionals to recognize and respond to climate-sensitive diseases. 
• Strengthening surveillance systems to monitor climate-attributable health outcomes. Sentinel surveillance on air pollution-related illnesses is being conducted using National Outdoor Air Quality and Disease Surveillance (NOADS) Mobile Application. Regular monitoring of air pollution related diseases is ongoing within healthcare system.
• Promoting intersectoral convergence with programs in environment, agriculture, and disaster management.
• Raising public awareness about climate-related health risks and preventive strategies.
• Developing state-level climate change and health action plans, enabling region-specific interventions.

The NPCCHH provides an opportunity for medical professionals, researchers, and policymakers to collaboratively address climate change as a public health priority.

Climate change represents one of the greatest health challenges of the 21st century. The NPCCHH is a timely initiative, but its success depends on robust implementation, sustained funding, and active participation from the healthcare community. Physicians must transcend traditional clinical boundaries to engage with environmental and policy discourse, ensuring that climate action translates into health protection. Proactive investments in emissions reduction, clean energy, and nature-positive initiatives will yield immediate and long-term health benefits. The time to act is now.