Cheat sheet: Three major ways that climate change impacts health

Accelerating changes in the natural world, including droughts, storms and floods, can have the following medical impacts on humans: 

• Disease is the largest factor: Cases of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are likely to increase because of warmer and wetter conditions. This month, a cholera outbreak in Zambia was linked to climate change. Growing air pollution also increases the risks of respiratory infections. In 2019, air pollution contributed to the death of 1.1 million people across the continent.