Public health consequences of global climate change. A narrative review.

Human activities related to the industrialization generated an overall rise of global temperatures with approximately 1 °C since 1880. These increases in temperatures have been accelerating since 1981, with the rate of temperature increase roughly doubling since the 1970s, the average warming rate being of approximately 0.18 °C to 0.20 °C per decade between 1970 to 2015. Even more alarmingly, recent studies indicate that this rate has accelerated to over 0.35 °C per decade since 2015, roughly the double of the previous period. The primarily contributor to the observed extensive climate change is the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the effect of which is a significant rise in Earth's surface temperature. Here, we examine the interplay between global warming and climate change, emphasizing their interconnected yet distinct roles. The consequences include extreme weather events, permafrost melting, and biodiversity loss. Most importantly, climate change represents a direct threat for human health. Higher temperatures can produce metabolic imbalances and oxidative stress, that may be responsible for various levels of immunosuppression, increased susceptibility to infections, and ultimately death. Climate change is proven to be associated with increased frequency and emergence of vector-borne diseases, mainly due to significant expansion of the endemic areas for the vectors. It is also related to exacerbation of respiratory, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases and an increase in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Given the limitations of climate change modeling, proactive policies and adaptive strategies are imperative. Climate change and global warming should be central aspects of current education, and educational programs should be implemented at every societal level. Actions to control climate change need to be continuously adapted to the observed reality and, should the current targets be deemed as insufficient to address the main problems, new, more ambitious, goals have to be negotiated and implemented. Solving the complex challenge of climate variability will necessitate a coordinated and sustained global action, independent of political views, geographical location and individual interests to safeguard both environmental and public health.