By Milliam Murigi
Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue but a major public health crisis.
This was revealed during a cross-border media science café on how climate change affects global and local health, organized by the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA).
Speaking during the café, Dr. Mweetwa Mudenda, a public health scholar at Lusaka Apex Medical University, said that climate change is already reshaping disease patterns, health systems, and mortality worldwide.
“Rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and changing rainfall patterns largely driven by greenhouse gas emissions are directly affecting human health, with the World Health Organization estimating that 3.6 billion people now live in highly climate-sensitive regions,” said Dr. Mudenda.
The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report shows that worldwide, the rate of heat-related deaths has risen by 23 percent since the 1990s, and now claims 546,000 lives each year. Likewise, a record 154,000 deaths occurred due to air pollution from wildfire smoke in 2024 alone. Another 2.5 million deaths a year are attributable to the air pollution created from the burning of fossil fuels like gasoline and coal, researchers found.
The global transmission potential for dengue has risen by up to 49 percent, according to the same report, following trends that date back to the 1950s and are expected to worsen as temperatures continue to climb.
Africa remains one of the most vulnerable regions. Projections indicate that climate-related health impacts could contribute to an additional 14.5 million deaths on the continent by 2050 if mitigation and adaptation efforts remain inadequate.
Vulnerable populations, including women, children, and people living with HIV, and low-income communities, face death rates up to 15 times higher during extreme weather events compared to wealthier populations.
“Climate change is a current public health emergency, driving heat stress, food and water insecurity, and climate-sensitive infectious diseases. Many solutions being implemented deliver immediate health co-benefits but are being implemented too slowly,” said Dr. Mudenda.
Beyond physical illness, Harry Simuntala from Latu Human Rights Foundation says that climate change is fueling a silent mental health crisis. Floods, droughts, and wildfires are accelerating cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, placing additional strain on already under-resourced health systems
At the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 30) in Belem, Brazil, governments acknowledged these growing risks and made several commitments aimed at strengthening climate resilience.
Countries agreed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, with pledges to modernize power grids and triple renewable capacity by 2030. Significant commitments were also announced for forests, oceans, and adaptation, including USD 5.5 billion for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility and expanded financing for coastal protection, freshwater restoration, and wildfire management
“One of the most notable health-related outcomes was the launch of the Belém Health Action Plan, a new global framework designed to build climate-resilient health systems. Countries pledged to triple adaptation finance by 2035, with an initial allocation of USD 300 million directed toward health resilience efforts,” says Simuntala.
However, according to Harry, civil society organizations believe that these commitments fall short of what science demands. According to them, COP 30 failed to adopt a clear, science-aligned roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, despite evidence showing that zero fossil fuel use is needed by 2040 to avert catastrophic health impacts
Apart from that, the scale of climate finance estimated at $1.3 trillion annually does not adequately address the long-standing ecological debt owed to the Global South. Much of the pledged funding also remains debt-creating, perpetuating historical inequities, while gaps persist in integrating HIV, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and community-led accountability into climate policies.
“The intersection of climate change with HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) emerged as a critical but under-addressed issue. Climate shocks are disrupting antiretroviral supply chains, damaging health facilities, increasing gender-based violence, and pushing vulnerable populations into risky survival strategies such as transactional sex. Without explicit integration of HIV and SRHR into climate policies, hard-won health gains could be reversed,” said Simuntala.
Civil society groups are now calling for debt-free climate finance, stronger accountability mechanisms, enforcement of Free, Prior and Informed Consent for affected communities, and the full integration of health and gender justice into national climate commitments. They argue that climate justice and health justice are inseparable, particularly for frontline communities bearing the brunt of a crisis they did little to create.
