Quantifying the Impact of Climate Change on Human HealthI N S I G H T R E P O R TJ A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4In collaboration with Oliver WymanImages: Getty Images© 2024 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders.ContentsForeword 3Executive summary 41 Understanding the link between climate change and human health 51.1 Climate change and the IPCC scenarios 61.2 The negative impacts of climate change on human health 92 Quantifying the impacts of future climate events on public health 112.1 Methodology for the climate-related health impact matrix 122.2 Deep dives on health impacts of the six weather-related events 183 Building climate-resilient health systems 353.1 Resistance and recovery, the two key pillars for sustainable health systems 363.2 Why policies and incentives need to change to enable climate-resilient health systems 38Conclusion 44Contributors 45Endnotes 46Quantifying the Impact of Climate Change on Human Health2ForewordClimate change is having a profound impact on global health – whether it’s connected to the dwindling supply of freshwater because of droughts, the increase in infectious disease in the aftermath of flooding or the toxic air pollution accompanying raging wildfires. There is no doubt that global warming and extreme weather events are exacerbating health issues worldwide and putting strain on healthcare systems already stretched to the limit in some regions. Over the next decade, as detailed in the Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023, the failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change will represent our gravest risk globally, with changing climate and weather patterns already leading to alarming trends.1 These include escalating new and existing pathogens, increases in air- and waterborne pollution and worsening extreme weather events such as heat waves, tropical storms and floods. Additionally, the health inequity gap has also begun to widen due to the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations and geographies already facing hardship and limited access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. As part of a collaboration between the World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman, an economic analysis focussing on how climate will likely transform the health landscape over the next two decades was carried out. Our in-dep...
