SSA LMICs to bear the brunt of climate change-related diseases, illnesses

The cumulative number of deaths linked to the health impacts of climate change is projected at 14.5 to 15.6 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa projected to experience approximately 71% of all cases and nearly one-half of all deaths caused by climate change with economic costs of 2.6 to 3.7% of GDP.

This is according to a study of 69 low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) whose population exceeded 10 million people in the base year 2020. These LMICs include 27 countries in SSA.

In his foreword, on The Cost of Inaction: Quantifying the Impact of Climate Change on Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries study, Juan Pablo Uribe, global director for Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) at the World Bank, said, “The study reveals that climate change-related health impacts will be severe, even in the short term, and certain regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia will bear a disproportionate share of the global burden. The cost of inaction is expected to be far higher than projected in the report, which did not cover all of the health risks linked to climate change.”

“Countries must adopt bold measures to limit the impacts of climate change and significantly boost the resilience of their health care systems. This cannot be about addressing the impact on specific diseases alone. Instead, we must focus on strengthening health systems so they can adapt and mitigate the broader impacts of climate change on health conditions,” he added.

The study’s key findings are:

• The impacts of climate change on health are “devastating” and call for “immediate, decisive action” at the global and country levels.
• Scaling climate-health action is needed to avert trillions of dollars in economic costs by 2050. The economic cost of these additional cases of morbidity and mortality is estimated to reach between US$8.6 and 20.8 trillion.
• Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia will bear the largest share of health impacts due to climate change. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 71 percent of cases and nearly half of all projected deaths, with economic costs of 2.6 to 3.7 percent of GDP. South Asia accounts for about 18 percent of cases and a quarter of deaths, with economic costs of 1.2 to 2.8 percent of GDP.
• Actual impacts on health – and associated costs – are likely to be much higher. The authors stressed that they had only considered a limited number of health risks, and they had not examined additional factors, such as migration, water stress, air pollution and impacts on mental health.

“The results presented here should be understood as just the tip of the iceberg of the scale in terms of the real impacts of climate change on health in LMICs,” said Tamer Samah Rabie, global programme lead, Climate and Health, at the World Bank HNP global practice.

According to the study, climate change is affecting human health in many different ways, including the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, increased risk of heat-related illnesses and mental health issues and challenges to food systems and nutrition. The impacts of climate change on health — already profound — are only likely to get worse over time.

“Climate change is a global crisis – we must join forces now to address its direct and indirect impacts on health and limit the high human and economic costs. This is a wake-up call for all of us to act decisively and urgently to safeguard our future,” Juan said.