How global warming is adding to the health risks of poor people
Those who live in poorly resourced, isolated and extreme environments will be most affected by disease
Evidence of the effects of climate change on human habitat and health, on plant and animal life, on water resources and shorelines is mounting. These changes are felt unevenly within — and between — nations and communities. This is due to differences in access to resources, infrastructure, social structure, and government policy. Climate change is, and will continue to be, most severely felt by the poorest people in any population, particularly those living in poorly resourced, isolated and extreme environments. But extreme weather events, famine and epidemics are not how people most commonly experience climate change. Rather, the unprecedented peaks in temperature across the world affect the conditions of everyday life in subtle ways. This is particularly true among people with the fewest resources. For example, people who live in poorly constructed houses and shacks, often without ventilation, and in old inner-city dwellings, are at heightened risk of heat-stress health problems t...
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