As temperatures around the world continue to rise from human-caused climate change, APHA and Climate Nexus have released updated versions of their popular infographics. The resources can be used to educate communities about the connection between climate and health.
Courtesy APHA and Climate Nexus
APHA’s popular infographic series that illustrates the public health effects of climate change has been updated with new science.
Created with Climate Nexus, the five infographics explain how poor air quality, extreme heat, extreme weather events and vector-borne diseases are on the rise as human activities change the Earth’s climate.
The updated infographics reference recent events and data, such as 2023 air pollution from Canadian wildfires, which caused a 17% increase in U.S. emergency room visits for people with asthma.
The infographic on rising temperatures notes that summer 2023 was the hottest recorded since 1880 and explains how extreme heat can aggravate cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Meanwhile, urban heat islands are forming, which can mean disadvantaged communities without tree canopies can be up to 20 degrees hotter than neighboring areas with more foliage and less pavement.
“These infographics will help us build a better understanding of the negative health outcomes associated with climate change,” Katherine Catalano, MS, director of APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity, told The Nation’s Health. “These are real, tangible health effects that people are already feeling. Now is the time to spread awareness and take action.”
Another infographic focuses on how extreme weather expands the geographical range of vector-borne diseases. Since 1999, for instance, over 56,000 cases of West Nile virus have been recorded.
The infographics also share the socioeconomic impacts of climate change, from an increased need for mental health care services to billions in property damage from extreme weather events such as floods. An estimated $643 billion has been lost due to severe storms and floods since 1980, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as increased heat destabilizes the planet and its weather patterns.
For more information and to share the infographics, visit www.apha.org/climate-infographics.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
