Health
Here, too, the news is not good: people are already suffering from climate-related causes and more will be killed or sickened as the planet warms.
Death rates spike an average of 6% during heat waves, so heat-induced deaths will probably rise sharply as temperatures increase and heat waves become more prolonged and intense. This is especially true for the most vulnerable—the elderly, children, and those who are already sick.
As temperatures get milder, mosquitoes, rodents, and other carriers of disease will expand their range and sicken more people, particularly in developing countries. In South America, malaria, dengue, and water-related diseases are particularly worrisome. Changing climate and destroyed forests could result in new diseases escaping into human populations.
In Bolivia, one study projected malaria and leishmaniasis would spread more easily, and that native peoples may be most at risk. Computer models also predict substantial increases in dengue fever in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador. On the other hand, some areas in Central America and around the Amazon are projected to experience fewer cases of malaria thanks to less rain.
Air pollution will likely worsen too, since higher temperatures and humidity will allow more ozone and particle pollution to form and linger longer. This will produce more asthma and deaths from heart and lung disease.
In addition, since climate change is likely to increase forest fire risk, the smoke from resulting fires could send more people to the doctor for respiratory problems.