Climate change can worsen 58% of human infectious diseases. This is why

Aug 12, 2022

The world will need to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change to reduce these risks. Image: Unsplash/Viktor Forgacs

Tristan McKenzie

Postdoctoral Researcher in Marine Science, University of Gothenburg

Camilo Mora

Associate Professor of Biology, University of Hawaii

Hannah von Hammerstein

Ph.D. Candidate in Geography and Environmental Science, University of Hawaii

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The largest number of diseases aggravated by climate change involved vector-borne transmission. Image: Camilo Mora

Children sleep under nets in Ethiopia to protect against malaria-spreading mosquitoes.

Warming or changes in precipitation patterns can alter the distribution of mosquitoes, which are vectors of numerous human pathogenic diseases. Image: Louise Gubb/Corbis via Getty Images

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Many waterborne diseases can be spread by climate change related events like flooding and extreme downpours. Image: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Some studies have suggested that rising global temperatures due to climate change are leading to increased heat tolerance of fungal pathogens. Image: Arturo Casadevall, Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis, Vincent Robert via Wikimedia

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