Urban Health and Climate Change

To varying degrees, people's life and health are being affected by climate change. It has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health by threatening the key ingredients of good health: clean air, safe drinking water, a nutritious food supply, and a safe housing.  The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will add an average of 250,000 annual deaths due to things like hunger, malaria, diarrhea, and heat. By the year 2030, experts predict that the annual direct damage expenses to health will amount to between $2 and $4 billion. Poorly equipped regions, especially those in developing nations, will struggle to respond and prepare without outside help. Climate change is worsening mental health and increasing the prevalence of infectious diseases in Bangladesh. Increases in respiratory, waterborne, and mosquito-borne diseases, as well as mental health issues, are all linked to climate change. Physical and psychological health problems are expected to increase as a result of the predicted climate change. Children and the elderly, as well as city dwellers in places like Dhaka and Chattogram, are particularly at risk.

Monsoon seasons are expanding from February to October, causing longer and hotter summers and warmer winters. These trends are obscuring the country's traditionally distinct seasonal differences. Climate models project a 1.4 °C increase in temperature in Bangladesh by 2050. In 2019, Dhaka city experienced a dengue outbreak due in large part to the erratic weather. Seventy-seven percent of all dengue-related deaths in Bangladesh that year were recorded in Dhaka. Mental health is also affected by the weather pattern. A higher number of people experience depression in the winter, and the prevalence of anxiety disorders rises in tandem with rising temperatures and moisture levels.

Therefore, climate change has a huge impact on the health of urban population. The chances of infectious, non-infectious diseases and mental health issues have increased due to climate change. Thus, Bangladesh has to include climate change as a potential risk factor when making health policies for urban health.