Adaptive Strategies for Mitigating Climate-Related Health Risks in Urban Environments

Abstract

The potential for selecting and implementing climate response solutions across several sectors to realize synergies and prevent conflicts with other elements of sustainable development is becoming more clear. Mental and physical wellbeing are both impacted by climate change. Health may be affected in other ways by climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, some of which may not be intended. The health impacts of climate mitigation and adaptation policies are outlined in this scoping review. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for relevant articles without time constraints. All studies that reported measurable health consequences associated with certain adaptation and mitigation approaches for climate change were included. Only a select few factors and outcomes related to health were taken into account among the 89 studies examined. Air temperature and air pollution were the primary foci of publications exploring adaptation and mitigation strategies, respectively. Mental health, diet and nutrition difficulties, and communicable illnesses were not investigated nearly as often as non-communicable diseases despite their importance. Inadequate attention of health equity components is shown by the paucity of research examining social health factors and offering stratified health effects among disadvantaged population groups in evaluations. There seems to be a need for greater work to be done to both measure health consequences and uncover underlying susceptibility characteristics among various demographic groups. Better evidence for addressing health inequities, reducing negative health consequences, and maximizing health co-benefits of climate change adaptation and mitigation might be provided by this data.