Climate change influences human health in numerous ways. The potential health effects include increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather events, food- and water-borne illnesses and other infectious diseases, and threats to mental health. Vulnerable populations may be disproportionately impacted by climate change.
Global warming is expected to cause long-term changes to the climate, resulting in risks and impacts such as increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, changes in precipitation and snowpack, increases to size and duration of wildfires, and other effects. While climate change is an urgent global issue, local governments play a crucial role in reducing and adapting to its impacts.
Drivers of Inequity
Due to economic situations that may limit housing options, vulnerable populations may be at greater risk of being impacted by climate change and have limited resources to respond to increasingly extreme weather events.