Climate change poses serious health risks for all countries in our Region. We will see increased rates of heat stress, while extreme weather events will lead to displaced populations and a rise in diseases spread through water and food. Changes in rainfall patterns, drought and rising sea levels will cause food insecurity and malnutrition. Vector-borne diseases, like malaria and dengue, will increase in areas of flooding due to more breeding sites for insects. People's mental health will be affected, both as a direct result of trauma related to extreme weather events and indirectly through social, economic and environmental disruptions.

At the same time, extreme weather events associated with climate change can damage health infrastructure and disrupt the delivery of health services.

For Pacific islands, climate change is much more than an abstract scientific or political issue. Rising sea levels are threatening to erode whole islands and atolls, and with them the only homes many people have ever known.

Other environmental issues also threaten the health of people in our Region, including air, soil and water pollution.

• Develop stronger arguments about the relationship between climate change, environmental degradation and health, including the economic case for climate change action that protects health.
• Monitor the health impacts of climate and environmental change on health.
• Prioritize health sector resilience to climate and environmental change in strategies and action plans.

We want to ensure that countries and communities are well prepared to face a changing climate and environment, and that the health sector becomes a strong force for preserving the planet.

Learn more about how we are tackling the health challenges of climate change and other environmental threats in For the future.

• WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050 climate change will cause an additional 250 000 deaths each year.
• WHO estimates that ambient air pollution alone causes more than 1 million deaths in the Region every year, and an even greater number due to indoor air pollution.