Climate's Rising Threat on Public Health

Rising global temperatures are silently fueling a global health crisis. Over 70% of the world's workforce is exposed to excessive heat on at least one occasion every year, a figure set to climb as our planet warms. The industry's financial health is also at risk with each rising degree. In fact, climate change has been tied to more than $820 billion in annual health care costs. Climate change is creating a complex web of health risks: deteriorating air quality, shifting disease patterns, and a looming mental health crisis, fueled by eco-anxiety and climate-induced displacement. These impacts strike hardest at vulnerable populations, threatening to widen existing health disparities on a major scale. And our industry is a significant part of the problem - the US healthcare system produces nearly 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. There is no one silver bullet to end this global crisis, but swift, decisive action is imperative to curb the threats ahead to our public health and reduce the health industry’s role in furthering the problem. Time is of the essence as the vital signs of our planet are shifting – and so must our approach to health.