Climate change: What does human health have to do with it?  

By Mamadou D. COULIBALY

Far from being an abstract phenomenon, climate change is manifesting itself in our daily routines, spaces, cultures, and even in our economies. Yet, when people think of the felt and seen impacts of climate change, they focus on melting glaciers, heat waves, floods, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels. Plausible as this is, this narrative tends to overlook another pressing impact, which is increased health risk. 

Limited climate and health awareness

The effects of climate change on health are particularly witnessed through the emergence and complicated nature of infectious diseases. This is particularly considering drug-resistant pathogens. 

With such striking and increasingly chilling facts, the world can no longer afford to go on with business as usual. While we continue to highlight impacts such as wildfires and droughts, neglecting to stress the health risks, mosquitoes responsible for infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever will continue to colonise new geographical areas. Additionally, cholera epidemics will resurface after heavy rainfall, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis will become more frequent, and zoonotic viruses will emerge in diverse disturbed ecological contexts. In fact, all of this and so much more is already happening. The projections are no longer futuristic; they have become a reality for vulnerable populations, particularly in countries with limited resources.

As a member of the Communication Committee of the CSID network, and a researcher engaged in the fight against infectious diseases in general, and those sensitive to climate change, I thought it imperative to raise climate change and health awareness. Contributing to the insufficient global dialogue and engagement on the matter. I do this driven by the realisation that today’s public health issues influence tomorrow’s public health matters. My other source of motivation is a study my colleagues and I are currently undertaking. A study titled: Leveraging Machine Learning to Predict the Impact of Climate Change on Tuberculosis Drug Resistance.

Climate change and health threats

The preliminary results of our study indicate that variations in temperature and the abundance of rainfall have a potential impact on the appearance of mutations in genes involved in the resistance of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (pathogen of tuberculosis) to anti-tuberculosis drugs. Additionally, we found mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles or Aedes, vectors of malaria, dengue and chikungunya, to be expanding their territory as temperatures vary and the seasons become more and more unpredictable. 

Research by other scholars suggests that spontaneous extreme rainfall is also responsible for the emergence of certain pathologies such as cholera or viral hepatitis, which find fertile ground in areas where sanitation infrastructure is damaged. For example, recently, many African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi have experienced cholera outbreaks closely linked to intense rains, followed by the disruption of access to drinking water.  All things considered, global warming is a catalyst for the emergence of new diseases. 

In many countries, climate change has displaced populations, thus increasing contact between humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Pathogens, particularly viruses, which always have the animal kingdom as a reservoir, find the opportunity to cross these barriers. Such incidents have resulted in outbreaks of diseases such as  EBOLA, experienced in the Central Africa region, and COVID-19, which broke out in Asia, before spreading to the rest of the world. 

These climate-related health realities are even more worrying because they threaten already weakened health systems. In some contexts, an epidemic can bring a hospital or even an entire region to its knees, especially in cases where warning systems are ineffective due to a lack of adequate surveillance systems.

Obstacles hindering coordinated responses

Although numerous reports and international journals have documented the potential link between climate and infectious diseases, consideration of this phenomenon remains marginalised in public policy, healthcare systems, and even scientific research. Thus, several obstacles currently hinder a coordinated and effective response to this growing threat, including:

Lack of collaboration, shared vision: A lack of close collaboration between scientific disciplines constitutes a major palpable obstacle in scientific research, because climatologists, epidemiologists, ecologists, and public health professionals rarely work together on integrated projects. Meanwhile, the complexity of the interactions between climate and health problems requires a truly interdisciplinary approach where climatic, biological, social, and medical data are cross-referenced and interpreted jointly.

Inadequate surveillance systems: Epidemiological surveillance systems remain very traditional, and often lack cross-functionality and inclusivity, in the sense that they do not integrate climate data. In many African countries, tools for predicting health risks linked to extreme climate events are non-existent or underutilised. This often results in a lack of anticipation of epidemic emergencies.

Exacerbated social and territorial inequalities: Populations most vulnerable to climate change are also the most exposed to the outbreak of infectious disease epidemics. These populations include remote rural communities, urban slums, displaced populations, and those living in conflict zones. These groups experience multiple vulnerabilities, inclusive of poor access to healthcare, degraded infrastructure, food insecurity, and prolonged exposure to disease vectors.

Lack of financial resources and political will: Although financial resources are being mobilised to address climate change, few are being allocated to the specific issue of health challenges. The link between health and climate is still little known, poorly understood more so by decision-makers. As a result, projects in these areas struggle to acquire the financial resources necessary for implementation.

Solutions that can guarantee victory 

Faced with these diverse issues, discouragement is inevitable, but it should not prevail. Though the challenges are real, levers for action exist provided that scientific, political, and civic forces are united around a common vision. That of a resilient and climate-adapted public health. Solutions that can make this a reality need the following role plays to be effective:

• Scientific Action: It is crucial to strengthen interdisciplinary research that connects climate, ecological, and health data. Expanding the scope of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications offers us an opportunity. Indeed, it’s not just about gaining insight into mechanisms, but also about being able to conduct prediction work to anticipate potential epidemics and better guide health policies.
• Institutional and political involvement: It is imperative to integrate climate-related health issues into national adaptation plans, epidemiological surveillance systems and financing policies. This requires strong will from governments, donors, and international organisations.
• Social and community: The most effective solutions are often the most local. Better information, greater awareness, and increased involvement of populations in prevention strategies enable more just, sustainable, and inclusive responses.

Although ambitious, these solutions are far from unrealistic; on the contrary, they are within the reach of all the stakeholders. Their implementation will surely mark the appearance of light at the end of the tunnel, allowing us to face climate change and reduce its burden on our health. The adoption of these solutions will lead, among other things, to: more scientific research to better understand the real implications of climate change on our health; taking climate events into account in disease surveillance strategies; and the involvement of citizens in the fight against climate change.

Long ignored is the fact that the climate and our health form a vital partnership. Given the emerging health threats, it’s time to think about them together, to act together to protect current and future societies.

About the Autor

Mamadou D. Coulibaly is a Data manager and Bioinformatician at the University Clinical Research Center (UCRC-Mali). His works are focused on machine learning for genomic and epidemiological data, especially on drug resistance prediction in tuberculosis, multi-omics data integration, and the impact of climate change on antimicrobial resistance. He is currently pursuing a PhD on “Prediction of antituberculosis drug resistance by integrative modeling using genomic and epidemiological data.” Mamadou is passionate about sport, hiking and cooking.

Edited and reviewed by Sharon Tshipa and Dieudonné Roland Eloundou Ombede, members of the CSIDNet Communications Committee.