Implications of climate variability and change on urban and human health: A review

Abstract

Urban regions have exceptional attributes that leave their dwellers and properties vulnerable to climate variability and change. Global temperatures continue to change, reaching new levels almost every year for the past two decades. This review examines the scientific evidence on the impact of climate change on urban and human health. It identifies research progress and gaps in how human society may respond to, adapt to, and prepare for the related changes. However, the causes are debated; climate variability and change are real. Climate variability and disaster risk are one of the threats to human health that adversely reinforce each other. Better knowledge of the linkage between climate change, variability and extreme weather-related illness is needed and can aid strategies to reduce the vulnerability. However, from this comprehensive review, it can be suggested that increased temperature and radiation are one of the major cause of some heat-related diseases such as skin cancer, heat stroke, heart disease and diarrhea which might strongly influenced by extreme climate events. On the other hand, since the extreme heat-related illnesses occurrence is increasing alarmingly, prevention and control have become a preference in public health programs and other disease control agencies. The study also suggests that public health should be everybody's business. Furthermore, public health education concepts can improve by a broader understanding of the subjective factors that underlie risk-taking and precautionary when exposed to extreme weather events.