Climate Change Socio-Economic and Health Impacts

Climate Change: Socio-economic Impacts

• Extreme weather events, like floods and heat waves, are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.
• Pakistan's 2022 floods severely impacted all provinces, killing 1033 people and affecting 33 million.
• Economic losses totaled $10 billion, affecting livelihoods, cattle, agriculture, and infrastructure.
• Social disruption includes displacement, community loss, and disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations (e.g., women, children, poor, remote communities).
• The 1% generating the most GHGs are impacting the 10 most vulnerable countries.
• Rebuilding efforts face significant challenges due to financial strain.

Climate Change: Health Impacts

• Climate change impacts mental health through acute, sub-acute, and chronic stressors.
• Acute impacts (e.g., floods, hurricanes) can lead to PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicide, especially with significant loss.
• Sub-acute impacts (e.g., prolonged heat waves, drought) disproportionately affect farmers and indigenous populations.
• Chronic impacts (e.g., changing species distribution) can create eco-anxiety, eco-grief, eco-paralysis, and eco-guilt.
• Solastalgia refers to the loss of solace and nostalgia for a place due to environmental degradation.

Climate Change: Responses - Mitigation

• Mitigation involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions or moving them out of the atmosphere.
• Limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels requires drastic reductions in emissions.
• If current emission rates continue, the carbon budget will be used up by 2030.
• Significant adaptation is still necessary despite mitigation efforts.

Climate Change: Responses - Adaptation

• Adaptation involves adjusting and responding to the impacts of climate change.
• Examples include adjusting agricultural practices and tourism strategies, like changing ski resort operations to account for the warmer climate.
• Responding to drought and other changing conditions.

Climate Change: Responses - Energy Transitions

• Energy transitions involve shifting from fossil fuels to a zero-carbon economy.
• Electrification of electricity generation, fuel switching, and energy efficiency are key components.
• Increased grid capacity is crucial for supporting electrification, however this is unevenly distributed.
• Personal consumer mindset and expenses are challenges to implementing electric vehicles (EVs).

Climate Change: Responses - Just Transitions & Nature-based Solutions

• Just transitions aim to address the impacts on workers in fossil fuel industries during the shift to a low-carbon economy.
• Nature-based solutions are vital for building resilience and providing services (e.g., mangrove restoration in Indonesia).
• Examples include peatland and mangrove restoration projects, which can reduce coastal erosion and other losses.
• Planning for nature-based solutions in urban areas, like in NYC after Hurricane Sandy, is often overlooked despite great benefits.