TSPSC - Group-1 Mains - 2024

Marks - 150 Time- 150 Minutes

GENERAL ESSAY-9 ANSWER

Q) "The Impact of climate change on Human Health: Challenges and Responses"?

Impact of Climate Change on Health

Context 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (COP28)

Source  The Hindu 22-11-2023 editorial

 WHO report 12-10-2023

Relevance Prelims:
 Environment
Mains:
 GS 2: Governance – Issues relating to development and
management of Social Sector/ Services relating to Health
GS 3:
 Environment

Extreme weather events: 1. Heatwaves

2. Wildfires
3. Floods
4. Tropical storms
5. Hurricanes

Key facts 1. Climate change is directly contributing to humanitarian

emergencies.
2. Around 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly

Call: 9392957733 KPSIR UPSC Universe - ( 1 )

 susceptible to climate change.
3. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause
approximately 2,50,000 additional deaths per year, from
undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress alone.
4. The direct damage costs to health is estimated to be between
US$ 2–4 billion per year by 2030.
5. Areas with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing
countries – will be the least able to cope without assistance to
prepare and respond.
6. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better
transport, food and energy consumption can result in very
large gains for health, particularly through reduced air
pollution.

Climate change impacts on 1. Climate risks are appearing faster and will become more
health: severe sooner than previously expected
According to the 2. It will be harder to adapt with increased global heating.
Intergovernmental Panel 3. In vulnerable regions, the death rate from extreme weather
on Climate Change's events in the last decade was 15 times higher than in less
(IPCC) Sixth Assessment vulnerable ones.
Report (AR6) –
4. Around 2 billion people lack safe drinking water
5. At least 600 million suffer from foodborne illnesses annually
6. Children under 5 bearing 30% of foodborne fatalities.
7. In 2020, 770 million faced hunger, predominantly in Africa
and Asia. Climate change affects food availability, quality and
diversity, exacerbating food and nutrition crises.
Climate change is impacting health in a myriad of ways, including
by leading to death and illness from increasingly frequent

People vulnerable to the a. Women

climatic changes b. Children
c. Ethnic minorities
d. Poor communities
e. Migrants
f. Refugees
g. Displaced persons
h. Older populations

What is affected by climatic a. Livelihoods

Call: 9392957733 KPSIR UPSC Universe - ( 2 )

changes b. Equality
c. Access to health care
d. Social support structures.

Indirect impact: 1. Affects nutrition

2. Reduces working hours
3. Increases climate-induced stress.
4. Growth of vectors such as mosquitoes, sandflies, ticks, and as
yet unknown ones
5. Changes the seasonality of infection through changes in their
life cycle.
6. Introduction of vectors and pathogens into areas where they
did not exist before, such as mosquitoes in the Himalayan
States.
7. Reduced availability of food and water
8. Decrease in nutritional value of food
9. Epidemics commonly occur after floods,
10. Extended warm periods promote the proliferation of water and
food-borne pathogens and diseases.
All this increases vulnerability to diseases.

Diseases caused by climatic Climatic change will cause

changes: a. Communicable diseases
b. Non – communicable diseases.

Communicable diseases 1. Zoonotic diseases

2. Food and water borne diseases
3. Vector – borne diseases

Non communicable diseases  Heart attacks

caused  Brain strokes
 Diabetes
 Kidney problems
 Psychological depression

Consequences of Impact of 1. Heat, physical exertion, and dehydration, a constant state for
climatic changes on health labour, could lead to kidney injuries
– 2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases are exacerbated by

Call: 9392957733 KPSIR UPSC Universe - ( 3 )

 increased and extended episodes of air pollution.
3. The risk of dying from pulmonary disease increases by 1.8–
8.2% during a heat wave
4. Hospitalization rates will go up by 8% for every 1% increase
in temperature above 29°C.
5. Depression, aggravated by stress generated by the change in
weather conditions
6. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder invariably accompany a
climate emergency.

Urbanisation and climate Urban areas are warmer than surrounding rural areas, especially at
change: night. Climatic conditions in urban areas worse due to the following
factors –
1. Rapid urbanization
2. Unplanned urbanisation
3. Inadequate urban greenery and open spaces
4. Asphalt roads
5. Heat-retaining buildings that physically block air circulation
 It all result in climate change due to the urban heat island effect.

Consequences of urban 1. Pressure on the urban primary health system

climate changes on public
health
2. Urban planning that discourages physical activity; and work-
related and cultural stress.
3. Mitigation efforts begin with understanding the direct and
indirect pathways by which climate change impacts health and
assessing the burden.
4. The impact is accentuated by socio-economic conditions
5. Absence of water conservation efforts

Action to control climate  Measures must be taken at global, regional, and local levels to
change: control the climate change.
 Recognise climate change and its impact on health as a
problem that can be and needs to be addressed.
 Researchers who work in this area need to come up with
policy options for action.
Three pronged strategy should be undertaken –

Call: 9392957733 KPSIR UPSC Universe - ( 4 )

 a. Problematization
b. Policy action
c. Political decision

Measures suggested by the 1. Promote actions that both reduce carbon emissions and
WHO: improve health
2. Build better, more climate-resilient and environmentally
sustainable health systems
3. Partnering with major health agencies, health professionals
and civil society, WHO strives to embed climate change in
health priorities like UHC and target carbon neutrality by
2030.
4. Capacity Building and Country Support: Through WHO
offices, support is given to ministries of health, focusing on
collaboration across sectors, updated guidance, hands-on
training, and support for project preparation and execution as
well as for securing climate and health funding.

Conclusion WHO leads the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate

and Health (ATACH), bringing together a range of health and
development partners, to support countries in achieving their
commitments to climate-resilient and low carbon health systems.

Model Question for Mains  Climate change may affect our health and wellbeing through
the extreme weather events. In this context explain how
climatic change can impact the public health? Suggest
measures to deal with

Model Answer Introduction:

 Climate change is directly contributing to humanitarian
emergencies.
Main body:
 Explain what are the extreme weather events.
 Impact of climatic change on communicable and non
communicable diseases.
 Suggest measures recommended by the WHO.
Conclusion:
Mention about the WHO’s ATACH strategy.

Call: 9392957733 KPSIR UPSC Universe - ( 5 )