The impact of climate change is now a major health threat, making millions of people around the world more vulnerable. However, it is the poorest populations and the most marginalized communities that are being most affected by the increase in extreme weather events and their enormous consequences.
Exposure to extreme heat directly affects health by increasing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, causing heat stroke, as well as pregnancy and mental health problems. But it goes much further: rising temperatures and extreme weather events also threaten crop yields and cause the spread of infectious diseases. Moreover, air pollution remains the leading environmental cause of premature death in the European Union.
To address this reality, it is urgent that governments and international organizations change the course of their policies to make them more ambitious and effective. This is precisely what we at Salud por Derecho are working on.