Article
How climate change affects various body parts
Climate change impacts different body parts, including skin, eyes, and mouth (credit: Kitthanes on Shutterstock)
When thinking about climate change and its consequences, many first think of rising sea levels and higher temperatures. While these can indeed be consequences, there is a much more wide range of consequences. For example, extreme weather events caused by climate change impact our mental health.
But climate change not only impacts our mental health. It also impacts our physical bodies, for example, because of additional heat, temperature variations, and humidity changes. In “10 Effects Of Global Warming On Pregnant Women And Birth Defects”, I explain the consequences for pregnant women and unborn babies. These environmental changes can cause issues such as hunger, stress, injuries, disease, and even death. And it is already happening: every day, over 150,000 deaths and 5 million disabilities-adjusted life-years have been caused by climate change since the 1970s, especially in developing countries. Disabilities-adjusted life-years are the years of life lost due to premature death and the years lived with disability!
As climate change can cause or contribute to disease and disability, it means it not only affects us as a whole but also particular body parts. Here are examples of body parts that are affected by climate change:
Skin
The first example body part that is affected by climate change is our skin. Our skin is impacted directly and indirectly by climate change through higher temperatures, behavioral changes, air pollution, and limited access to treatment. This impact is complex, as several factors influence this relationship at the same time.
One example factor influencing the relationship between climate change and skin health is that higher temperatures caused by climate change can increase our exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation is an important cause of skin cancer. Exposure to UV radiation increases when skies are less frequently covered by clouds due to higher temperatures or when we spend more time outside. But extremely high temperatures can also cause us to stay inside air-conditioned rooms more often so that we have less exposure to sunlight. This reduces the amount of vitamin D being produced by our bodies, which is important to protect us from UV radiation. This means that when we do go outside, we are more vulnerable to UV light.
Skin cancer (credit: Octopus16 on Shutterstock)
Another example factor influencing the relationship between climate change and skin health is that climate disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and wildfires can damage our skin, from slight, harmless bruises to life-threatening damage, such as third-degree burns. As these disasters can limit the availability of healthcare services needed to recover from skin damage or prevent us from getting help, this can cause further health issues, such as infections, blood poisoning, or even death.
Eyes
The second example body part that is affected by climate change is our eyes. One example impact of climate change is that heat waves — which are becoming more frequent due to climate change — can cause inflammation in the cornea. The cornea is the transparent outer layer of the eye that covers the iris and the pupil and allows light to enter the eyeball. This can in turn lead to eye infections caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi and to allergic reactions. Retina disorders are issues with the light-sensitive layer at the back of our eyes, which converts visible light into signals for the brain.
Anatomy of the human eye (credit: Toxa2x2 on Shutterstock)
Another example impact of climate change is that more UV radiation can reduce the immunity of cells in our eyes. As a consequence, our eyes are more likely to catch an inflammation or infection. Also, UV radiation can trigger latent viruses. Latent viruses are viruses that are in our bodies, but are inactive and don’t cause any symptoms. Once they are triggered, they can start causing problems and symptoms. And UV radiation together with a heat wave can increase the risk of tumors in the eye, cataract, and retinal disorders. Cataract involves the lens becoming cloudy, which impairs our eyesight.
A third example impact of climate change is that changed climatic circumstances can reduce food production, causing malnutrition. Malnutrition means that we don’t have enough to eat or an unbalanced diet. This can cause for example a vitamin A deficiency called xerophthalmia, which causes problems with our eyes, especially in children younger than five years old. When left untreated, they can turn blind. In adults, malnutrition can lead to eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Glaucoma involves increased eye pressure that damages the optic nerve, which transmits the signals to the brain; age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that impairs our central vision.
Vision of a patient with macular degeneration (credit: Sarah2 on Shutterstock)
Mouth
The third example body part that is affected by climate change is our mouth. While our mouth may not seem like a critical body part, oral health is very important for general health. Also, problems with our mouth are related to several chronic diseases including diabetes: if our gum is inflamed, this can lead to higher blood sugar levels, which can contribute to developing diabetes. In some countries, oral diseases are in the top 5 health diseases that put a large health burden on the country. Also, the health of our mouth not only impacts how well we can chew food but also how we speak, smell, and look and thus impacts whether we can flourish in life. This means, that climate change has directly and indirectly a large impact on my aspects of our lives:
- Rising global temperatures make health conditions worse in patients with teeth problems. Heat impacts them even further when it changes their behavior, allows their disease to spread to other people, affects availability of much-needed health services, and limits energy and water availability. Also, heat can make microorganisms more resistant to antibiotics and reduce the quality of stored medicines.
- Extreme weather events such as floods and droughts can cause limited food availability. This in turn can cause malnutrition, which can lead to several oral issues such as angular cheilitis, ulcerative gingivitis, and abnormalities with the bones in our mouths. Angular cheilitis involves cracked skin in the corners of the mouth and ulcerative gingivitis involves inflamed and sore gums.
Angular cheilitis (credit: Wonderplay on Shutterstock)
- Higher humidity will change viruses, virus hosts, and how likely diseases can be transmitted. It can also cause newer fungi diseases to develop, which can have serious consequences for our mouth. For example, fungal Mucormycosis can for example cause tooth pain, loose teeth, and tingling or pricking sensations in the lip.
Conclusion and how we can take action
So, climate change impacts various body parts, including our skin, eyes, and mouth. Just to name a few. To reduce the negative impact, it is critical to limit greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible. Here are practical ideas of what you and I can do to limit these emissions and take care of our bodies as well as possible:
- Using environmentally friendly sun protection, including as little sunscreen as possible, hats, and sunglasses
- Using antibiotics only when necessary
- Sharing information about the impact of climate change on various body parts with others (for example, by sharing this article)
- Reducing CO2 emissions as much as possible, for example by traveling by bike instead of a motorized vehicle (see “A Guide to a Healthier Planet” and my other articles for many more ideas)
- Supporting or setting up training programs that make health professionals aware of the consequences of climate change in their field of expertise
Which one of these can you implement in your daily life? And do you have further ideas of what you and I could do? Thank you in advance for putting them into practice and sharing them in a comment to this question to inspire all of us.
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Did you enjoy this article? Then I’m sure you’ll love my book “A Guide to A Healthier Planet” as well. Have a peek inside the book at:
A Guide to a Healthier Planet
This book focuses on closing the gap between scientific insights on pressing environmental issues that do not often reach the general public.
https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet
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About the author
Dr. Erlijn van Genuchten is a an internationally recognized environmental sustainability expert. She is a science communicator, helping scientists in the fields of nature and sustainability increase the outreach of their results and allowing us all to put scientific insights into practice and contribute to a sustainable future. Erlijn has inspired thousands of people around the world — for example — by supporting the United Nations with her expertise, her book “A Guide to A Healthier Planet” published by Springer Nature, her YouTube channel Xplore Nature, and her posts on social media.
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It's important to prioritize both physical and mental health in our efforts to address climate change.
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The Kadir-Buxton Method can eradicate the scourge of mental illness in thirty seconds, saving the UK alone £300 billion a year, enough to pay for any low carbon plan. So learn it now.
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2 w
this is so enlightening, thank you for sharing
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This is pretty informative actually. I was not aware of the severity of climate change on certain body parts that are more susceptible to being affected in comparison to their counterparts. And it means different people are also affected differently by climate change
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Wow,this is very new.Would love to practice this tips💚
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@rukia_ahmed_abdi It is an imperative step that we have to take to share the following with others. "Sharing information about the impact of climate change on various body parts with others" Not many are aware of how climate change affects our body parts and it's severity
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Love the practical tips for reducing emissions.♻️ Small changes can make a big difference.
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@george_kariuki If we all practice a small change in our routine, in the long run it is a habit and it will institute a big change for the better, we should definitely consider that path.