Climate Change and Non-Communicable Diseases

The inter-relationship can also be described as a syndemic due to the aggregation of two concurrent, synergistic threats (i.e., climate change and NCDs) and the interaction of factors such as exposure to extreme heat, floods, and droughts; air pollution from wildfires; increased risks of a range of infectious and vector-borne diseases; undernutrition; and population displacement, pointed to linked to both undernutrition and obesity.These altering conditions have an impact on NCD outcomes (for example, cancer, diabetes, and mental health) as well as risk factors (eg, stress, air pollution, and physical activity). Fossil fuel burning is a key contributor to climate change, with air pollution causing around 3.6 million premature deaths each year.It is also seen that human behaviors  (e.g., smoke and alcohol) that causes NCD's produces substantial GHG emissions, thus exacerbating climate change.

Reference: //www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00112-8/fulltext

Climate change and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are often regarded as the most pressing health and development issues of the twenty-first century . Both impose a disproportionate burden on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are unprepared to deal with the combinatorial effects. These issues jeopardize the fulfillment of many of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly targets 1, 2, and 3, which are concerned with reducing the prevalence of NCDs and managing current NCD diseases . While NCDs vary, the four most common are cardiovascular disease (CVDs), which include heart attacks and strokes, cancer, chronic respiratory illness (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma), and diabetes. NCDs account for over 71% of all global fatalities, resulting in considerable economic and social implications.

References: //journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297393

A wide variety of diseases and health conditions - ranging from heat and radiation-related illnesses to water and vector-borne diseases, under-nutrition, respiratory and cardiac problems, drowning, injuries and mental stress arising from extreme and sudden weather events and their resultant population displacements - all have been associated with various components of changing climate.

Ambient air pollution is directly linked with cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic respiratory illnesses. Air pollution is also carcinogenic to humans, with evidence of a causal link between exposure to outdoor air pollution and lung cancer; and there is a strong association between PM2.5 and cardiovascular and pulmonary disease.

In cities where air pollution levels are high, or where cycling lanes and footpaths are located next to busy roads with high levels of motor vehicle traffic (including diesel exhaust from trucks and other larger vehicles). Regardless of the number of policies, frameworks or strategies supporting the benefits of physical activity, it is challenging for governments, communities and businesses to encourage active transport and promote exercise if air quality is poor. 

Refrence  //orcid.org/0000-0002-2879-4573

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers climate change to be the greatest health threat in the 21st century. Again, it is estimated that some 90% of all deaths globally are because of non-communicable diseases. The interaction of climate and NCDs could be denoted as a syndemic due to the concurrence of two co-occurring, synergistic threats and interplay across the complex system driving factors that exacerbate both, as defined by a 2019 Lancet Commission that identified links with both undernutrition and obesity. Many of the important pathways from GHG emissions to NCDs are identified through variables of climatic change, climate disasters, and indirect factors like migration. These affect both NCD outcomes—such as cancer, diabetes, and mental health—and risk factors like stress, air pollution, and physical activity. Fossil-fuel combustion is a proximate cause of climate change, with the related ambient air pollution estimated to cause about 3·6 million premature deaths annually. Another key point is that human activities that result in NCDs—for example, tobacco and alcohol production—are also significant sources of GHG emissions, contributing to climate change.

The co-benefits for both NCDs and policies on climate change mitigation are many. By way of example, the policies to replace the combustion of fossil fuels with access to clean renewable energy reduce both NCD risks from ambient air pollution and GHG emissions. Policies promoting walking, cycling, and public transport could reduce driving in private motor vehicles and thus cut air and carbon emissions while improving health through increased physical activity. Food systems contributed around 34% of GHG emissions annually, as of 2015. Dietary patterns that cause an increasing burden of diet-related NCDs also disproportionately contribute to the high environmental impact of the food system. Dietary change can, therefore, reduce the negative health and natural environmental impacts of the food system. Various international efforts have been initiated to define health-promoting dietary patterns that are environmentally sustainable. This generally translates to a high intake of fresh or minimally processed food products, mostly of plant origin, and low in foods originating from animal sources and ultra-processed foods.8 Estimates would have it that worldwide adherence to this kind of diet reduces global GHG emissions from the food system by half, even without altering the techniques for agricultural production or the reduction of food wastes, accruing substantial health benefits.

In general, climate change is going to be an accelerator of NCDs.Health and climate change call for holistic solutions that require action across many sectors. Recognized in the Working Group II, Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC is the need for caring for ecosystems and biodiversity together with human communities at global and regional levels. This will depend on holistic solutions that bring the stakeholders on NCDs and climate change closer together, including through the integration of NCDs into Nationally Determined Contributions. The inclusion of NCDs in Nationally Determined Contributions is an opportunity for all countries to realize their Paris Agreement commitment through holistic, health-promoting policies and multisectoral actions. Recently adopted, the World Health Assembly 77 Resolution on Climate Change and Health has been a most opportune and relevant policy tool for countries to integrate climate change across all policies, including those related to NCD prevention, and to advocate for mitigation measures that would realize health co-benefits.

Reference: 

Hunter, R. F., Garcia, L., Dagless, S., Haines, A., Penney, T., Chloe Clifford Astbury, Whiting, S., Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Racioppi, F., Galea, G., & Henri, H. (2024). The emerging syndemic of climate change and non-communicable diseases. ˜the œLancet. Planetary Health, 8(7), e430–e431. //doi.org/10.1016/s2542-5196(24)00112-8

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified climate change as the most significant health threat of the 21st century. The 2015 Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission reported that six out of nine planetary boundaries have been exceeded, including changes in land systems, depletion of freshwater resources, and loss of biodiversity, with ocean acidification nearing its critical threshold. These planetary boundaries are interconnected with climate change and present significant health challenges. Additionally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally, accounting for about 90% of all deaths. Climate change impacts health in various ways, such as through exposure to extreme heat, floods, droughts, air pollution from wildfires, increased risks of infectious and vector-borne diseases, undernutrition, and population displacement. However, the complex interactions between climate change and NCDs remain largely misunderstood.

Reference: The emerging syndemic of climate change and non-communicable diseases Hunter, Ruth F et al. The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 8, Issue 7, e430 - e431

Climate change has a substantial impact on the prevalence and severity of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disorders, and diabetes. Rising temperatures and the increased frequency of extreme weather events exacerbate these problems by reducing air quality, changing disease vectors, and jeopardising food security. Heatwaves, for example, can exacerbate heart and respiratory ailments, whilst climate changes can impact the spread of pollutants and allergens. Furthermore, climate-related disruptions in agriculture and water supply can result in poor nutrition and increased stress, which contribute to NCDs. Addressing climate change is critical for minimising these health effects and increasing public health resilience.