Climate change is a present reality that demands serious attention (1), as it threatens health of the whole population (2). Rising temperatures, droughts, and air pollution are aggregating the incidence of infectious diseases (3), respiratory problems, and cardiovascular illness (4).
Despite extensive scientific evidence on the problem, the response has not yet matched the severity of the disaster. According to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change is expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year by the year 2050 (5). The rise in temperature is likely to expand endemic inhabitant areas where vectors such as the Aedes mosquito thrive (6), increasing the risk of diseases like dengue, and it could also affect the distribution and transmission of malaria (7). In addition, air pollution is related to a wide range of health conditions and increased mortality.
Despite the vast body of scientific evidence on disasters associated with climate change, much of it remains confined to academic journals, failing to receive adequate attention from policymakers and the general public. More importantly, interdisciplinary cooperation among researchers, public health bodies, physicians, climatologists, economists and policy-makers remains limited.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the scientific community to both make research findings understandable to the general public and provide policymakers with a practical framework for a collective endeavor for tackling the health impacts of climate change. This will shape social demand for sustainable policies and measures to mitigate the health effects of climate change. Policy makers should also benefit from the active role of scientists in the process of legislation.
All in all, climate change is a public health concern which needs an urgent attention. Any delay in mitigating the problem will expose the community to human and economic costs. Now is the right time for doing collective and integrative actions.