Article by Dean Tirado & Adreen Fernando. Dean is an Intern in the New York State Assembly. Adreen is a student of Criminology and Sociology at Coventry University. They are both volunteers with UNA Coventry.

Climate change is not merely an environmental crisis; it is a transformation reshaping human existence at biological, psychological, and societal levels. Far from being a distant threat, climate-driven diseases are already dismantling the ecological and social systems that protect us. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, primarily from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress (“Taking Action for the Health of People and the Planet”). These estimates capture only a fraction of what experts believe is coming.

One of the most direct threats is extreme heat. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), extreme heat is already the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. It is projected to worsen as global temperatures continue to rise (“Climate Change and Extreme Heat”). Extreme heat harms crop yields, disrupts food systems, and even reduces the nutritional value of staple foods, creating deficiencies and intensifying food insecurity, especially in low-income communities and regions already stressed by conflict. Food shortages drive prices up, pushing families toward ultra-processed, low-nutrient foods, thereby increasing rates of obesity and diabetes.

Air pollution is another accelerating pathway through which climate change harms health. The EPA and the Lancet Countdown both find that climate change worsens particulate pollution, wildfire smoke exposure, and ground-level ozone, all of which can be inhaled deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, increasing the risk of asthma, chronic bronchitis, heart disease, and even cognitive decline. The Lancet Countdown reports that exposure to PM2.5 and wildfire smoke has risen dramatically over the last two decades due to climate-driven environmental disruption.

A rapidly advancing example of climate-sensitive disease is dengue fever. Historically confined to tropical regions, dengue is now a growing global threat. WHO reports a tenfold increase in cases over the last generation, with outbreaks emerging in Southern Europe, the southern United States, and temperate regions of China once considered low-risk (“Dengue and Severe Dengue”). Warmer temperatures accelerate the mosquito’s reproductive cycle, while shifting rainfall patterns create ideal breeding conditions. Dengue is becoming a bellwether for climate-driven disease. A clear signal that no region is immune.

This pattern extends to other vector-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease. Peer-reviewed research demonstrates a clear link between climate change and the expansion of tick-borne diseases. Monaghan et al. found that warmer winters and springs cause Lyme disease season to begin earlier, increasing the window of human exposure (Monaghan et al. 467). Leighton et al. showed that rising temperatures drive ticks’ northward expansion into regions once protected by colder climates (Leighton et al. 544). Ogden et al. demonstrated that higher temperatures shorten tick life cycles, accelerating population growth (Ogden et al. 367). CDC data further show a substantial rise in tick-borne diseases across the United States from 2004 to 2016 (“Lyme Disease Data and Surveillance”). Together, these findings illustrate how climate change is directly reshaping disease ecology.

Heat: The Silent, Deadliest Force

One of the most immediate dangers is extreme heat. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that extreme heat is already the leading cause of weather-related deaths in America, and the risk grows every year as global temperatures climb.

Heat influences far more than comfort; it touches nearly every system that keeps humans alive:

• It kills crops, reducing yields and weakening food systems.
• It strips nutrients from staple foods.
• It drives up food prices, forcing families, especially in low-income communities, toward cheaper, ultra-processed foods.
• It fuels chronic illnesses like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

In other words, extreme heat is not simply a temperature problem. It is a nutritional problem, an inequality problem, and a chronic disease problem, all incorporated together.

Air Pollution and the New Respiratory Burden

Climate change is intensifying air pollution in ways that directly damage the human body. According to both the EPA and the Lancet Countdown, rising temperatures and persistent droughts have led to higher exposure to wildfire smoke, fine particulate matter, and ground-level ozone.

Each of these pollutants enters the lungs and bloodstream, increasing risks for:

• asthma
• chronic bronchitis
• heart disease
• stroke
• early cognitive decline, including dementia

The Lancet Countdown reports that wildfire smoke–related exposure has surged dramatically over the past two decades. In many regions, breathing the summer air is becoming a seasonal health hazard.

Dengue: The Disease on the Move

Climate-driven disease doesn’t just worsen existing health threats—it creates entirely new ones.

Dengue Fever, long confined to the tropics, has become one of the fastest-spreading vector-borne diseases in the world. The WHO reports a tenfold increase in cases within a generation. Outbreaks are emerging in places most people wouldn’t expect: Southern Europe, the southern United States, and areas of China once considered completely safe.

The cause is direct:

• Warmer temperatures accelerate mosquito reproduction.
• Shifting rainfall and humidity create ideal breeding environments.
• Mosquitoes now survive in regions once too cold for them.

Dengue is not just a tropical problem anymore; it’s a climate problem.

Lyme Disease: A Case Study in Climate-Driven Spread

The same trend appears in Lyme disease. Multiple peer-reviewed studies reveal a clear connection between rising temperatures and the expanding range of disease-carrying ticks.

• Monaghan et al. (2015) show that warmer winters cause Lyme season to start earlier.
• Leighton et al. (2012) demonstrate that ticks migrate north as temperatures rise.
• Ogden et al. (2004) find that heat shortens tick development cycles, increasing populations.
• CDC data confirms sharp increases in tick-borne illnesses across the United States.

Diseases are crossing borders not because humans move—but because climate systems do.

How Can This Be Solved?

1. Addressing the Root Cause: Rapid Decarbonization

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and WHO agree that the most effective long-term solution requires eliminating dependence on fossil fuels. Transitioning to renewable energy, ending coal use, and protecting carbon sinks such as forests and oceans would stabilize ecological systems and reduce environmental pressures that accelerate infectious disease expansion. The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health emphasizes that climate policy is health policy and that phasing out fossil fuels produces immediate health benefits (“Climate Change and Health”).

2. Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure

Global health systems must adapt to the realities of climate-driven disease. WHO, EPA, IPCC, and the Lancet Countdown all recommend:

• expanding surveillance systems
• improving access to care
• upgrading medical technologies
• building early-warning systems for outbreaks

3. Accelerating Research, Vaccines, and Global Equity

Scaling research and ensuring equitable access to vaccines and treatment, especially for mosquito-borne and neglected diseases, are critical. Mechanisms like the Pandemic Fund aim to support low and middle-income nations that contribute the least to climate change yet face the greatest risks.

4. The Paradox of Artificial Intelligence

AI represents a complex duality. On one hand, large AI models consume vast amounts of energy and water; data centers often require millions of gallons of water daily for cooling, and their carbon footprint is substantial. Studies on AI’s environmental impact highlight this growing concern. On the other hand, AI can revolutionize early detection of disease outbreaks, predict mosquito population surges, analyze climate threats, and even identify cancer risk years earlier.

AI can be part of the solution if powered by renewable energy and governed responsibly. Without regulation, the tech sector’s environmental footprint, especially in water-scarce regions, may intensify global climate stress. The question is not whether AI has potential, but whether governments and corporations will regulate it for the public good.

The Crisis of Global Political Will

The largest barrier to climate-driven disease prevention is not scientific; it is political. The international community has been slow to act, constrained by short-term economic interests and an unwillingness to invest in long-term planetary health. High-income nations have been especially reluctant to support low- and middle-income countries, despite contributing the least to global emissions and bearing the heaviest burdens of climate-related health crises.

Generative AI, worsening geopolitical tensions, and the privatization of solutions further complicate cooperation. But failure to collaborate jeopardizes everyone. The world needs a new model of international governance, one that places climate and health at the center of global decision-making rather than treating them as secondary concerns.

A Planet at a Crossroads

The storm is already here. Climate-driven disease represents one of the most urgent challenges of the twenty-first century. We possess the scientific knowledge to address it, but implementation requires unprecedented global cooperation, bold political leadership, and sustained investment in public health systems.

Technology, including AI, will amplify whichever choices humanity makes. With international regulations, renewable power, and ethical oversight, AI could help predict outbreaks, strengthen health systems, and accelerate decarbonization. Without guardrails, it may accelerate the crisis.

Ultimately, the future depends on whether the United Nations, national governments, and global industries can forge a new commitment to planetary well-being. Climate action must be understood not as a cost, but as an investment in human survival. Our shared vulnerability demands shared responsibility.

1. Addressing the Root Cause: Rapid Decarbonization

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and WHO agree: the most effective long-term solution is eliminating the dependence on fossil fuels. Transitioning to renewable energy, ending coal use, and protecting carbon sinks like forests and oceans would stabilize ecological systems and reduce the environmental pressures driving infectious disease expansion. The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health (MSCCH) emphasizes that climate policy is health policy, and that phasing out fossil fuels yields immediate improvements in global health.

2. Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure

Global public health systems must adapt to the realities of climate-driven disease. This requires:

• expanding surveillance systems
• improving access to healthcare
• upgrading medical technologies
• building early-warning systems for outbreaks

These practices are recommended by the WHO, EPA, IPCC, and Lancet Countdown as central pillars of climate adaptation.

3. Accelerating Research, Vaccines, and Global Equity

Scaling research and ensuring equitable access to treatments (especially for mosquito-borne and neglected diseases) are critical. Mechanisms like the Pandemic Fund aim to support low- and middle-income nations that face the greatest risks despite contributing the least to climate change.

4. The Inconsistency of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI presents a complex duality. On one hand, training large models consumes significant energy and water; data centers can use millions of gallons of water daily for cooling, and their carbon footprint can be substantial. Research on AI’s environmental impact demonstrates this growing concern. At the same time, AI has the potential to revolutionize early detection of disease outbreaks, accurately predicting mosquito population surges or identifying cancer risk years earlier.

AI can be part of the solution if powered by renewable energy and governed responsibly. Without regulation, the tech sector’s footprint, especially in water-scarce regions, can intensify climate stress. The question is not whether AI has potential, but whether governments and corporations will regulate it for the public good.

The risk

Training large AI models uses enormous amounts of energy and water. Some data centers require millions of gallons of water per day just for cooling. In drought-prone regions, this can exacerbate water scarcity and climate stress.

The opportunity

AI can transform global health by predicting:

• mosquito population surges
• early signs of infection outbreaks
• climate-driven disease patterns
• cancer and chronic illness risks years earlier

Works Cited

“Climate Change and Extreme Heat.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/heatislands/climate-change-and-extreme-heat. 

“Climate Change and Health.” Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, 2024, medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org. 

“Dengue and Severe Dengue.” World Health Organization, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue. 

“Lyme Disease Data and Surveillance.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/lyme/datasurveillance. 

Leighton, P. A., et al. “Predicting the Speed of Tick Range Expansion: Climate and Landscape Drivers.” Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 49, no. 2, 2012, pp. 457–467.

Monaghan, A. J., et al. “The Potential Impacts of 21st-Century Climate Change on Seasonal Lyme Disease Risk in the United States.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 123, no. 8, 2015, pp. 467–472.

Ogden, N. H., et al. “The Role of Climate in the Epidemiology of Lyme Disease in Canada.” International Journal for Parasitology, vol. 35, no. 4, 2004, pp. 365–372.

“Taking Action for the Health of People and the Planet.” World Health Organization, 2023, https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/health 

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. The Lancet, 2023, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01859-7/abstract