A systematic review of the inequality of health burdens related to climate change

Highlights

● Varied factors lead to uneven climate health outcomes were revealed.

● Poor people, ethnic minorities, and females are most-studied vulnerable groups.

● Research gaps and methodological challenges were identified.

Abstract

Climate change significantly impacts human health, exacerbating existing health inequalities and creating new ones. This study addresses the lack of systematic review in this area by analyzing 2440 publications, focusing on four key terms: health, disparities, environmental factors, and climate change. Strict inclusion criteria limited the selection to English-language, peer-reviewed articles related to climate health hazards, ensuring the relevance and rigor of the synthesized studies. This process synthesized 65 relevant studies. Our investigation revealed that recent research, predominantly from developed countries, has broadened its scope beyond temperature-related impacts to encompass diverse climate hazards, including droughts, extreme weather, floods, mental health issues, and the intersecting effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019. Research has highlighted exposure as the most studied element in the causal chain of climate change-related health inequalities, followed by adaptive capability and inherent sensitivity. The most significant vulnerabilities were observed among populations with low socioeconomic status, ethnic minorities, and women. The study further reveals research biases and methodological limitations, such as the paucity of attention to underdeveloped regions, a narrow focus on non-temperature-related hazards, challenges in attributing climate change effects, and a deficit of large-scale empirical studies. The findings call for more innovative research approaches and a holistic integration of physical, socio-political, and economic dimensions to enrich climate-health discourse and inform equitable policy-making.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Climate change / Health impact / Human well-being / Inequality / Vulnerability

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 71773062, 71525007, 72140002, and 72204137) and the National Social Science Foundation of China (No. 17ZDA077).

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest

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