Global Health Otherwise shared on LinkedIn:
“Researchers asked a key question: what does the evidence really say about how long-term climate change harms human health?
Climate change affects health through heat, floods, polluted air, unsafe water, and disease-carrying insects.
Many studies exist, yet nobody had mapped them clearly. Limaheluw and colleagues (2026) offer a scoping review, which is a broad survey of existing research rather than a new experiment.
They searched 3 databases, screened about 60,000 records, and kept 1,223 studies published between 2000 and 2024. Most studies looked at temperature and disease-carrying insects such as mosquitoes. Diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, dengue, heart disease, and stroke received the most attention.
About 20% of studies described harm already happening, while 80% projected future harm. Researchers rarely studied non-infectious diseases in poorer countries. Because studies used different methods, comparing results proved difficult.
The authors therefore urge researchers to study these neglected diseases and regions, use common climate scenarios, report results clearly, and repeat reviews yearly. They also say health must urgently become central to every climate adaptation plan worldwide.
Climate change already harms health; projections show more harm ahead. Reaserch focuses on heat and insect-borne disease, neglects chronic illness in poorer countries. Authors urge shared methods and health-centred adaptation.”
Title: Impacts of long-term climate change on human health: a global scoping review of quantitative research
Authors: Jesse Limaheluw, Rebecca Niese, Dieneke Bijkerk-Schram, Lisbeth F Hall, Jelske De Kraker, Saskia C J Oostdijk, Fábio Serafim, Ana Maria de Roda Husman.
You can also read:
WCC 2026 Highlights Growing Focus on Climate Change and the Future of Cancer Care
