&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Climate Change, Health, and
Environmental Justice
Understanding the threats that climate change
poses to human health can help us work
together to lower risks and be prepared.
Climate change threatens human health, including
mental health, and access to clean air, safe drinking
water, nutritious food, and shelter. Everyone is affected
by climate change at some point in their lives. Some
people are more affected by climate change than
others because of factors like where they live; their age,
health, income, and occupation; and how they go
about their day-to-day life.
Climate change is an environmental justice issue
because certain groups of people in the United States
are disproportionately affected by climate change and
are less able than others to adapt to or recover from
climate change impacts. These groups include people
of color, low-income communities, immigrants, and
people who are not fluent in English. There are many
factors that can affect someone's ability to prepare for,
respond to, and cope with the impacts of climate
change on health. These include:
• living in areas particularly vulnerable to climate
change (like communities along the coast)
• coping with higher levels of existing health risks
when compared to other groups
• living in low income communities with limited
access to healthcare services
• having high rates of uninsured individuals who
have difficulty accessing quality healthcare
• having limited availability of information and
resources in a person's native language
• less ability to relocate or rebuild after a disaster
Understanding
the way that
these factors are
related to different impacts of
climate change can help people
and communities plan for risks,
adapt to changes, and protect health.
What is climate change and why does it
matter for health?
We've all heard of it, but what exactly is climate change?
Greenhouse gases act like a blanket around Earth,
trapping energy in the atmosphere. Human activities,
especially burning fossil fuels for energy, increase the
amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and
cause the climate to warm. Climate is the typical or
average weather for an area. Climate change is any
change in average weather that lasts for a long period of
time, like warming temperatures. Climate change affects
the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we
drink. It also leads to extreme weather events, like
flooding, droughts, and wildfires. All of these impacts
affect human health.
There are steps that people and communities affected
by climate change can take to protect themselves and
their health. For example, community members can take
part in planning and decision-making for local
environmental protection, community development,
and emergency services. These types of actions
encourage local areas to prepare for where and how
climate change impacts are expected to occur. Also,
efforts to get the word out about how climate change
affects some more than others help to spread
environmental justice awareness.
-------
Key Climate Change Impacts on Health
EXTREME HEAT
Climate change leads to more
extreme heat events and warmer
than average temperatures.
\
Example health impacts
• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion
• Heatstroke
• Hyperthermia (above normal body temperature)
• Dehydration
You may be at increased risk if you:
• Live in a home with poor insulation
• Do not have air conditioning
• Do not have access to cooling centers
• Work outdoors
• Do not have access to emergency healthcare
• Do not have access to emergency public health
warnings in your native language
POOR AIR QUALITY
Climate change affects harmful air
pollutants, like ozone and
particulate matter, both outdoors and
indoors, and can increase allergens in
the air like ragweed pollen or dust.
Example health impacts
• Premature death
• Cardiovascular (heart) and respiratory (lung) illnesses
• Worsened allergy and asthma conditions
You may be at increased risk if you:
• Live in an urban area, especially one that already has
a lot of air pollution
• Work outdoors
• Have medical problems like hypertension (high
blood pressure), diabetes, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disorder (COPD), or asthma
• Do not have access to public health information in
your native language
EXTREME EVENTS
Climate change affects the frequency or intensity of some extreme events, such as flooding (related to heavy rains,
hurricanes, and coastal storms), droughts, wildfires, and winter storms. Health impacts can happen long after or far away
from the extreme event.
Example health impacts
• Injury, illness, and possibly death
• Mental health problems
• Damage to power, water, transportation, and communication systems
important for health care and emergency response services
You may be at increased risk if you:
• Have limited transportation options
• Have limited access to health care services or medications needed for existing medical problems
• Have no or limited health insurance or property insurance
• Need electric medical equipment like oxygen machines that cannot be used during power
outages
• Do not have access to emergency public health warnings in your native language
CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
-------
Key Climate Change Impacts on Health
CONTAMINATED WATER
ILLNESSES
Rising water temperatures and
changes in precipitation can shift
when and where waterborne bacteria,
viruses, parasites, and harmful algae
grow. Heavy rains and flooding made more intense by
climate change can damage drinking water, wastewater,
and stormwater infrastructure. All of these changes
increase the risk of water contamination and illness.
Example health impacts
• Gastrointestinal illnesses like diarrhea from
waterborne bacteria, viruses, and parasites
• Liver and kidney damage, nerve and breathing
problems, and diarrhea from harmful algae
You may be at increased risk if you:
• Live in an area with treated drinking water systems
that are old or below standards
• Live in an area with untreated water such as well
water
• Live in a crowded shelter after evacuations for an
extreme event
• Do not have access to public health information in
your native language
ACCESS TO SAFE AND
NUTRITIOUS FOOD
Increasing temperatures and
changes in precipitation can affect
illness caused by harmful bacteria,
viruses, or chemicals found in food.
Rising carbon dioxide also affects the nutritional
quality of food crops like wheat and rice. Extreme
weather events can affect food shipments, leading to
damaged, spoiled, or contaminated food.
Example health impacts
• Gastrointestinal illnesses like diarrhea from harmful
bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli
• Food-related illnesses, like food poisoning
• Limited access to high quality food
You may be at increased risk if you:
• Do not have access to information on safe handling
of food
• Live in an area with limited access to high quality
food choices
• Have existing or chronic medical problems
• Do not have access to public health information in
your native language
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Impacts on people's physical health and changes in their surrounding environment can affect their mental health.
Extreme weather events are known to affect mental health, especially in cases of loss of life or home, images of
extreme weather events in the media, or disruption of communication lines and social support networks that people
with mental illnesses need to stay healthy.
Example health impacts
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress
• Suicide
• Alcohol abuse
You may be at increased risk if you:
• Do not have access to mental health care, especially
counseling, in your native language
• Have an existing mental illness, especially if taking
medication that increases sensitivity to heat stress
• Live in an area vulnerable to extreme weather events
• Have limited social support networks
CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
-------
Effects of Climate Change on Existing
Health Conditions
People of color, people from low-income
communities, and immigrants tend to have
relatively high rates of some existing health
conditions like heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The
following are examples of how climate change
affects these common health problems. Knowing
the risks can help people prepare for increasing
threats from climate change.
• Heart disease - Heart disease increases
sensitivity to heat stress.
• Diabetes - Diabetes increases sensitivity to
heat stress. Extreme weather events can also be
problematic for diabetics because these events
may limit access to the medicine and food that
diabetics need to stay healthy.
• Asthma - Asthma can be exacerbated by
changes in pollen season and exposure to air
pollution caused by or made worse by changes
in temperature, humidity, wind, or wildfires.
• COPD - Patients with COPD are more sensitive
than the general population to changes in
outdoor air quality made worse by climate
change.
This fact sheet is based on "The Impacts of Climate
Change on Human Health in the United States: A
Scientific Assessment." To explore the full report, go to:
https://health2016.globalchange.gov
Learn More
Climate Change: Human Health
https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts/health.html
Climate Change: What You Can Do
https://www3 .epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
Environmental Justice
https://www3.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/index.html
Recursos en Espahol
Climate Health Assessment: Resumen Ejecutivo en
espanol
https://health2016.globalchange.gov/downloads
EPA en espanol
https://espanol.epa.gov/
EPA en espanol: El cambio climatico y usted
https://espanol.epa.gov/espanol/el-cambio-climatico-y-usted
Photo credit on bottom of page 2: Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Marilee Caliendo.
CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
EPA 430-F-16-054
May 2016
------- |