The impacts of the climate crisis on public health in Turkey and COP31 expectations

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melike Yavuz, a faculty member in the Department of Public Health at Kocaeli University, evaluated the effects of the climate crisis on heatwaves, infectious diseases, mental health, and food security. Yavuz emphasized the importance of implementing health-focused climate policies during Turkey's COP31 Presidency term.

The climate crisis threatens human life in many areas such as extreme heat, air pollution, infectious diseases, mental health, and access to healthy food. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melike Yavuz stated that climate change is not merely an environmental issue for the future, but a major public health problem directly faced today. According to the Lancet Countdown 2025 report, Turkey experiences an average of 33.6 heatwave days per year, and approximately 81% of these days are attributed to human-induced climate change. Additionally, approximately 643 million hours of potential labor loss are projected due to extreme heat.

Changes in temperature and precipitation regimes affect the habitats of disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks, increasing the risk of infectious diseases. On the other hand, traumas caused by disasters such as floods and fires, as well as the loss of homes and livelihoods, lead to long-term mental health problems. While drought and agricultural production losses jeopardize food and water security, the use of fossil fuels and air pollution aggravate cardiovascular and respiratory system diseases.