Climate Change Impacts on Common Citizens’ Health

Children stand in stagnant floodwater in a Pakistani village after the 2022 floods, which led to outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Climate change isn’t just a story of weather patterns or economic losses – it’s deeply personal. It’s about the air a child breathes, the water a family drinks, and the conditions in which people live. In Pakistan, climate change is increasingly taking a toll on public health, especially for the most vulnerable citizens. This article delves into how shifting climate patterns are impacting the health of ordinary Pakistanis, from the spread of diseases to mental health stresses, and what it means for the country’s healthcare system.

Disease Outbreaks and Extreme Weather

When extreme weather events strike, health crises often follow. The 2022 super floods are a stark example. As floodwaters lingered and millions were displaced, disease spread like wildfire. Stagnant water became breeding grounds for mosquitoes and bacteria. In the months after the floods, health officials reported surging cases of diarrheal illnesses, skin infections, and vector-borne diseases. In Sindh province alone, over 90,000 cases of diarrhea were recorded in a single day in one heavily affected area. Hospitals in flood-hit districts saw countless patients with cholera, typhoid, dengue fever, and malaria. Tragically, children were among the hardest hit – UNICEF estimated more than 3 million children were at risk of disease after the floods.

It wasn’t just floods. Warmer temperatures and erratic rainfall have expanded the range and season of disease vectors. Dengue fever, once mostly post-monsoon, has been appearing in new areas and during cooler months. Malaria risk is shifting too, as mosquitoes thrive in warming climates. Pakistan’s health system, already stretched, has had to deal with simultaneous disasters: rebuilding physical health facilities damaged by floods (over 880 health centers were damaged or destroyed in 2022’s floods) and managing outbreak after outbreak.

Heatwaves present another dire health challenge. The extreme heat in cities like Karachi has proven deadly. In June 2015, a record-breaking heatwave saw temperatures soar to 45°C. With high humidity and frequent power outages (limiting fans or AC), the heat turned lethal. Over a span of about 10 days, more than 1,200 people died in Karachi due to heat-related illnesses. Hospitals overflowed with 65,000+ heatstroke patients during that period. Most victims were laborers, elderly, or those without access to cool environments – essentially, the common citizens. This tragedy exposed how climate change (as scientists linked the intensity of that heatwave partly to climate trends) can directly claim lives in urban areas. Since then, heatwaves have become an almost annual threat in Pakistan’s summers, straining healthcare especially in urban slums where living conditions amplify heat risks.

Everyday Health Stressors in a Changing Climate

Beyond headline-grabbing disasters, climate change is subtly and persistently affecting day-to-day health in Pakistan:

• Air Quality and Respiratory Issues: Warmer temperatures can increase ground-level ozone, a component of smog, worsening air quality in cities. Moreover, climate change can lengthen the dry season, contributing to dust and particulate matter. Cities like Lahore and Karachi have battled severe smog in recent winters, leading to spikes in asthma attacks, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses, especially among children and the elderly. While industrial and vehicular pollution are direct causes, climate factors (like temperature inversions and lack of rain) exacerbate smog episodes.
• Water Scarcity and Quality: Changing rain patterns and glacier melt are affecting water supply. Many communities already face water scarcity, pushing them to use unsafe sources. In Tharparkar and other arid regions, droughts driven by climate variability have led to malnutrition and contaminated water consumption, causing gastrointestinal diseases and stunting in children. Conversely, when heavy rains overwhelm sewage systems (common in urban centers), drinking water sources can get contaminated, leading to illnesses.
• Nutrition and Food Security: Climate change threatens agriculture through more frequent droughts, heat stress on crops, and floods destroying fields. For citizens, this can mean higher food prices and occasional shortages of staples. Poor nutrition weakens immune systems. There’s concern that climate change could reverse gains in food security, leading to more underweight children or maternal health issues due to lack of proper diet.
• Mental Health: While harder to quantify, mental health is emerging as a serious concern. Imagine being a farmer who loses his entire crop to an unexpected torrential rain – the stress and anxiety about the future are immense. Communities frequently hit by disasters face trauma; for example, flood victims not only suffered physical ailments but also PTSD, depression, and chronic anxiety about the next disaster. Youth who are aware of climate change express eco-anxiety, a fear that the changing environment will rob them of a stable future. Mental health services in Pakistan are limited, and climate change is adding to the psychological burden on citizens.

Health System Response and Adaptation

Pakistan’s health system is adapting out of necessity. There are efforts to integrate climate considerations into health planning:

• Early warning systems for heatwaves and extreme weather have improved. For instance, after 2015, Karachi city developed a Heatwave Management Plan, which includes setting up heat shelters and public awareness campaigns when temperatures soar. Such plans have saved lives in subsequent heat events.
• Vaccination and monitoring campaigns ramp up when floods or disasters displace communities, to prevent outbreaks of diseases like measles or cholera. In 2022, emergency vaccination and medical camps were set up across flood zones, which helped contain some potential epidemics.
• The concept of climate-resilient healthcare facilities is gaining attention. This means designing and equipping hospitals and clinics to withstand floods, ensuring backup power (so critical equipment can run during heat emergencies or storms), and training health workers on climate-related health issues.
• Public health messaging is slowly incorporating climate. For example, awareness drives about dengue now include information on how seasonal changes affect mosquito breeding. Similarly, community health workers educate families on safe water practices knowing that rains are erratic.

Protecting Health in a Changing Climate

What can Pakistan do to safeguard public health as the climate continues to change?

1. Strengthen Surveillance: Expand disease surveillance systems to detect climate-sensitive diseases early. This could be enhanced with technology (mobile reporting from rural clinics, for instance) and tied to climate data (e.g., knowing that after a high rainfall event, to watch for spike in malaria cases).
2. Invest in Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure – e.g., improve drainage in cities to prevent waterlogging (and thus reduce mosquito breeding and contamination), and upgrade healthcare centers in high-risk areas (elevating clinics in flood-prone zones, better cooling systems in heat-prone areas).
3. Community Education: Continue raising awareness on preventive measures – like using mosquito nets, purifying water, recognizing heat stroke signs – and tie it into climate education. When people understand that what they’re experiencing (like more frequent fevers or stomach issues after floods) is linked to climate, they can better prepare and respond.
4. Policy Integration: Merge climate policy and health policy. The health sector should be a key part of climate adaptation plans. Conversely, when planning urban development or agriculture policy (which are influenced by climate considerations), health impacts should be assessed (health impact assessments for major projects).
5. Global Support and Funding: Pakistan will need international support to address these challenges – whether it’s technical assistance to develop climate-smart healthcare or funding through mechanisms like the GCF to build resilient water and sanitation systems. Global climate finance for adaptation (as discussed in the previous blog) directly benefits health because so many adaptation actions (water, sanitation, disaster management) are health issues at core.

Every Pakistani has the right to a healthy life. Climate change is putting that right at risk for millions, especially those who have contributed the least to the problem. By recognizing health as a central theme in climate action, Pakistan can take steps that protect its citizens now and in the future. Clean air, safe water, and freedom from epidemic outbreaks – these fundamental health securities must be the bedrock of any climate-resilient development strategy. Ultimately, climate change is a public health issue, and addressing it head-on is not just about saving the planet, it’s about saving lives and ensuring the well-being of every family across the nation.