Effects of extreme weather on health in underserved communities.

Increased fossil fuel use has increased carbon dioxide concentrations leading to global warming and climate change with increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as thunderstorms, wildfires, droughts, and heat waves. These changes increase the risk of adverse health effects for all human beings. However, these experiences do not affect everyone equally. Underserved communities, including people of color, the elderly, people living with chronic conditions, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, have greater vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. These vulnerabilities are a result of multiple factors such as disparities in health care, lower educational status, and systemic racism. These social inequities are exacerbated by extreme weather events, which act as threat multipliers increasing disparities in health outcomes. It is clear that without human action, these global temperatures will continue to increase to unbearable levels creating an existential crisis. There is now global consensus that climate change is caused by anthropogenic activity and that actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change are urgently needed. The 2015 Paris Accord was the first truly global commitment that set goals to limit further warming. It also aimed to implement equity in action, founded on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. Meeting these goals requires individual, community, organizational, national, and global cooperation. Health care professionals, often in the frontline with firsthand knowledge of the health impacts of climate change, can play a key role in advocating for just and equitable climate change adaptation and mitigation policies.
Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr Nadeau reports receiving grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Food Allergy Research & Education; having stock options from IgGenix, Seed Health, ClostraBio, Cour, and Alladapt; serving as advisor at Cour Pharma; serving as a consultant for Excellergy, Red tree ventures, Before Brands, Alladapt, Cour, Latitude, Regeneron, and IgGenix; serving as co-founder of Before Brands, Alladapt, Latitude, and IgGenix; serving as National Scientific Committee member at Immune Tolerance Network and National Institutes of Health clinical research centers; and having patents including “Mixed allergen com-position and methods for using the same,” “Granulocyte-based methods for detecting and monitoring immune system disorders,” and “Methods and Assays for Detecting and Quantifying Pure Subpopulations of White Blood Cells in Immune System Disorders.” All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)