Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RC 2001-410
Climate change is an issue being discussed around the world. According to NASA,
climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place and is also a change in the
earths overall climate (What Is Climate Change?). One of the most concerning things about
climate change is that even if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stop, the climate will continue to
change irreversibly (Solomon). GHGs are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and the main
four of these gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (Overview
of Greenhouse Gases.).
The impact of climate change on the health of the world population is a newer topic, but
also being discussed around the world. According to the World Health Organization, Health is a
state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity (Frequently asked questions.). There are many studies being done that go beyond its
impact on the environment to explore the effects on health and the importance of this paradigm
shift is being stressed in many studies. According to an article in The Lancet, climate change will
have an adverse impact on human health in many ways, and a newer approach to the research of
this is broader than it has been in the past (McMichael). There is not much research yet on the
impact of climate change on health because in the past it has been focused primarily on the
impact of climate change on the environment. The newer approach to research now includes
health along with the environment. The answer to how climate change impacts health has a
different answer based on the frame it is looked through. The aim of this paper is to examine
how the health of three different countries is impacted by climate change and how different
aspects of those countries affect how they view that impact. I will also examine how countries
are working to mitigate the effects of climate change as part of their response to climate change.
If climate change mitigated, its impacts on health will also be mitigated. The countries we will
discuss all have distinct qualities that make them different than each other to provide a broad
view of this issue. They range from developing to developed and span the globe.
Climate change impacts everyone, but people living in developing island nations are
especially vulnerable (Climate change and health.). Areas with weak infrastructure are also
considered more vulnerable (Climate change and health.). One example of a country that falls
into this category, is Madagascar (The World Factbook: MADAGASCAR.). Eighty percent of
Madagascars species cannot be found anywhere else on earth (Environment and Climate
Change.). In 2017, the U.S. Agency for International Development (Environment and Climate
Change.) launched the Conservation and Communities Project in Madagascar. The project will
work to protect Madagascars natural capital through preservation of the countries biodiversity.
The way this will impact the health of citizens is by the promotion of resilient livelihoods
(Environment and Climate Change.). Instead of USAID going into the country, fixing the
issue, and then leaving, it will enable locals to carry out programs (Environment and Climate
Change.). This project will not only work to protect the diversity of the country, but also create
sustainable jobs for people within the country. With sustainable jobs, people are able to provide
for themselves or their families. This includes shelter and food; basic human needs. It is nearly
impossible to be healthy without either of those things. I am not saying the people of Madagascar
to not already have these things. Instead, I am saying that a sustainable job provides security
within these things. A job that does not go away means money that does not go away, and needs
Madagascar has the longest coastline of any country in Africa (Environment and
Climate Change.). This coastline and the communities located there are threatened by powerful
cyclones and rising sea levels (Environment and Climate Change.), both of which are partially
caused by climate change. Not only do natural disasters cause damage to infrastructure and the
environment, they also displace people and therefore have negative mental health impacts. This
is an example of climate change having an impact beyond that goes beyond physical health. In
countries unable to handle displaced people, this issue only gets worse. Not only are they unable
to find places for people to stay after being displaced, it is also likely that they are unable to
ranks 139 out of 220 countries (World's countries ranked). This means that Madagascar
produces small amounts of GHGs. 98% of these emissions come from land use change and
forestry and agriculture (Global Climate Change.). By definition, a developing country has,
little industrial and economic activity (Developing country.). This explains why Madagascar
has relatively low GHG emissions but also explains why it and other developing countries
struggle to address climate change. Madagascar does not contribute to GHGs in large amounts
and struggles to have the economic power to make large scale changes in emissions or provide
disaster relief and response. It is also important to take into consideration that the fastest way to
grow economically and infrastructurally is often through activities that produce large amounts of
GHGs. It is hard to deny developing countries the opportunity to grow without also providing
ability to have storm resistant buildings and response to storms after they happen. Without strong
healthcare, it is hard to keep people healthy or prevent them from getting sick. Without strong
storm-resistant buildings or disaster relief, it is hard to reduce damage due to storm. These types
of infrastructure are a vital part of responding to the health impacts of climate change.
Now that I have discussed a developing country, I will move on to a country that lies
between developing and developed. According to the World Bank Group, Thailand has moved
from a low-income country to an upper-income country over the past four decades
(Overview.). However, it still relies heavily on agriculture which accounts for 10% of its GDP
and employs one-third of the population (The World Factbook: THAILAND.). The coastal
threatened by rising sea levels. Bangkok serves as the economic, social, and political hub for
Thailand (Kisner) containing 9.27 million people and the highest population density in Thailand
(The World Factbook: THAILAND.). Flooding in the capital would have resounding impacts
on the country. There would be loss of businesses, homes, lifes, and other important
infrastructure. The flooding associated with rising sea levels presents itself as a specific example
of climate change. When major floods happen, there is potential for increase in vector-borne and
water-borne diseases (Flooding and communicable). Flooding can also damage necessary
infrastructure like power sources, which effects health facilities. If health facilities are already
weak and then sustain further damage, it is then challenging to respond to an increase in vector-
When it comes to dependence on agriculture, being able to produce enough food to eat
and export through it is an important part of health. This connection is made because of
agricultures relation to food security. Populations cannot be healthy without the access to or
means to purchase food. The interesting thing about agriculture is that it is both impacted by
climate change and contributes to climate change (Thailand). On, one hand rice cultivation
contributes to GHGs and therefore climate change in the form of the emission of methane
(Cruz). On the other hand, worsening storms or droughts can cause changes to a normal rice
growing season. Thailand has taken steps to improve rice farming practices to address this issue
(Thailand). Because Thailand relies on agriculture and has been growing economically, the
importance placed on food security and actions being taken make sense for Thailand.
On the list of GHG emissions, Thailand is ranked 19th out of 220. (World's countries
ranked). Thailand understands its contribution to climate change but is also limited in how it
can respond. This is addressed in their Biennial Update Report Under the United Nations
cooperation. This report outlines both how Thailand is contributing to climate change and how
Thailand is working to mitigate climate change (Thailand). Thailand also created the Bangkok
Declaration of 2020. Its purpose was to demonstrate [Thailands] renewed interest in, and
commitment to, realizing a promising decade (2010-2020) of sustainable actions and measures
for achieving safe, secure, quick, reliable, affordable, efficient and people-centric and
environment friendly transport in rapidly urbanizing Asia (Bangkok Declaration for 2020).
intention to mitigation of activities that cause climate change. Through mitigation of climate
change, the impacts of climate change on health are also being mitigated. It reduces the need to
respond to the health impacts because they will be lessened to begin with.
While it might seem that a developed country like the United States (US) has the least to
lose from climate change, that is not the case. The rise of certain diseases provides an example of
climate change directly impacting health within the US. In 2016, the US saw an outbreak of the
Zika virus; every state but Alaska reported a case (Rosen). Zika is a mosquito-borne or vector-
borne disease that is typically found in warmer, tropical areas (Rosen). Diseases like these have
increased prevalence due to the warming of the planet and is part of climate change (Eckelman
and Sherman). Because the US had not seen the disease in these numbers, there was panic
(Eckelman and Sherman). If this pattern of new and emerging diseases continues, stress will be
Unfortunately, some of the U.S. government does not currently believe that the climate
change occurring is caused by humans (Marsh and Wallace). In fact, President Donald Trump
has decided he wants to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Accord (Marsh and Wallace). This
may be partially due to the fact that in 2014, the US was the second largest emitter of carbon
dioxide (United States). In order for emissions to be reduced and therefore the impacts of climate
change on health reduced, there are going to have to be severe changes in emissions. There also
need to be new policies made that will enforce that change in emissions. Those changes are
necessary for the health of people and the environment, but they are expensive. This is
something that the leader of the U.S. has decided is not important. From the perspective of a
businessman running a business, this makes sense. However, the planet and its inhabitants are
not a business.
Overall, it is easy to see that climate change does have an impact on the health of all
populations. It is something almost all parts of the world are contributing to in some way, though
at different levels. Climate change destroys communities and vital ecosystems. It is creating
worse storms that displace people and produces negative physical and mental health impacts.
These storms along with worsening droughts can reduce agricultural production. Warming
climates increase the prevalence of vector-borne diseases, often in areas that have never seen
those diseases before. Although these issues were discussed specific to different countries, they
are all connected. Developing countries impacted by storms often receive help from other
countries, slowed rice production impacts those who export and import rice and these vector-
borne diseases require response across the world to improve the health of all people.
Communities react to the threats of climate change in different ways. It can depend on things like
economic status and the sector a country relies on for jobs. It can also depend on the government
that is in charge. Each of these factors affect the lens through which a community sees climate
http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3948Lao%20EST_Bangkok-2020-
Declaration%20(2010-2020).pdf.
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Kisner, Corinne. Climate Change in Thailand: Impacts and Adaptation Strategies. Climate
Marsh, Rene, and Gregory Wallace. EPA makes 'climate' vanish from four-Year plan. CNN,
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Rosen, Meghan. Year in review: Zika virus devastates Brazil and spreads fear across
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The World Factbook: MADAGASCAR. CIA, Central Intelligence Agency, 6 Nov. 2017,
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