Climate Change and Health Series - Inequitable Impact Part I
The first installment of the sixth assessment report was released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in September 2021. Key takeaways include: virtual certainty that observed increases in greenhouse gas emissions since 1750 are caused by human activities, human-induced climate change is the primary driver of more frequent and intense extreme heat and precipitation events since 1950 and global temperatures will continue to increase until at least 2050 under all emission scenarios and warming of 1.5-2C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases occur in the next 1-2 decades.
The effects of climate change are not equitably distributed with those most impacted contributing the least greenhouse gas emissions. A study found that the 10 most food-insecure countries in the world, vulnerable to drought, flooding and reduced agricultural capacity due to climate change, account for less than 1 percent of total global emissions of carbon dioxide. Industrialized countries such as the United States continue to enjoy economic and lifestyle benefits fueled by high per capita greenhouse gas emissions while the consequences are exported to the global south. For example, the average American generates the same amount of carbon dioxide each year as 583 Burundians. Those especially vulnerable to climate change-related health impacts include the poor, children, elderly, BIPOC, immigrants and refugees, outdoor and factory/industrial workers and those residing in geographic areas with poor air quality, limited greenspace, high concentration of pavement and other features which increase susceptibility.
Climate change as threat multiplier for existing health disparities and inequities
COVID-19 has exposed how the ripple effects of societal inequities such as discriminatory housing policies, inequitable distribution of greenspace, grocery stores and healthcare systems contribute to health disparities based on race, citizenship status and/or geographic area. The pandemic in many ways has provided a glimpse of how climate change disproportionately impacts specific populations. A few features that intersect with equity and vulnerability to climate change:
Greenspace allocation
Redlining and other discriminatory housing policies in the United States restricted urban communities of color to neighborhoods with the least greenspace and most vulnerable to extreme heat. Per the National Climate Assessment (NCA), heat is a leading cause of weather-related mortality in the United States, contributing to over 600 annual deaths. The NCA further estimates that most areas of the U.S. will experience 20-30 more days over 90 degrees by 2050. This will almost certainly disproportionately impact specific populations, as studies found that formerly redlined areas were as much as 7C warmer than non-redlined areas, and that residents living in neighborhoods with higher racial diversity, extreme poverty and lower levels of education were more likely to be exposed to extreme heat.
Proximity to heavy industry and poor air quality
Race and income level are strong predictors of exposure to air pollution. The American Lung Association (ALA) found that nonwhite populations, especially African Americans, faced higher disease and mortality risk from air pollution and that African Americans were more likely to reside in areas with greater exposure to air pollution. Other factors such as low socioeconomic status, unemployment, Medicaid enrollment and higher use of public transportation were also associated with higher risk from air pollution. Climate change increases the likelihood of poor air quality events as warming is associated with higher levels of allergens and harmful air pollutants such as ground-level ozone (smog).
Access to affordable, healthy food
Climate change is projected to significantly impact global availability of fruits and vegetables due to rising temperatures, drought and flooding. This may deepen existing food access disparities in the United States. Studies have consistently shown that residents of ethnic minority and low-income communities are more likely to be affected by poor access to healthy food products, chain grocery stores and supermarkets. Neighborhoods with predominantly black and/or Hispanic residents have fewer large chain supermarkets than those in majority white and non-Hispanic areas.
Profiles: climate change vulnerability in the U.S. and abroad
Location: western Washington State, United States
Western Washington is known for a cool, temperate climate overall with mild, dry summer days and temperatures that rarely exceed 80 degrees. However, the effects of climate change have increasingly been felt in record-breaking extreme heat events, poor air quality from wildfire smoke and more frequent and intense precipitation events.
A Climate Impacts Group Special Report from 2015 indicated that the Puget Sound region (containing Seattle) had warmed 1.3 degrees between 1895 and 2014 with significant warming in all seasons except spring. This warming trend is projected to continue through the 21st century with rate dependent on emission level, effecting all seasons with almost certainly more frequent and extreme heat events.
Additional extreme heat days will directly impact public health in western Washington. A separate CIG report on the health implications of climate change highlighted that mortality, hospitalizations and emergency medical service call rates increased significantly on days over 97 degrees. Areas of Puget Sound with the most paved surfaces, can be up to 20 degrees warmer than other and have the highest concentration of populations already impacted by health-related inequities and disparities.
Location: India
India is the second most populace country in the world with 1.3 billion people and the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions after China and the United States. Although India has experienced rapid economic growth over the last few decades, a significant percentage of the population remain either poor (28% - 364 million) or in extreme poverty (13.5% - 176 million). According to the World Bank, nearly two-thirds of India’s population is either directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for their living. Population density, social vulnerability and dependence on agriculture contributes to high climate change vulnerability.
Out of 191 countries, India ranks 29th in terms of vulnerability to climate change. Its primary exposures include extreme heat, flooding, cyclones and drought. The effects of climate change are already becoming evident as the frequency and intensity of droughts increased significantly between 1951 and 2016, water scarcity has become a primary issue and India/Bangladesh account for 86% of total global mortality from cyclones which have grown stronger and more frequent in recent years. Population displacement associated with natural disasters has become a nearly annual occurrence, with over 5 million forced from their homes in 2019 alone.