States to draw up customised action plans to tackle health effects of climate change

New Delhi: As the broad effects of climate change, including sea level rise and extreme weather events, also extend to human health, every Indian state will frame a separate action plan to combat the effects of climate change on people’s health, government officials aware of the matter told Mint.

Most states and union territories have framed initial drafts of their action plans – called vision documents – in collaboration with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and sent them to the union health ministry for approval.

"Every state has a different topography and climate and therefore their challenges are also different. A common set of guidelines may not be as effective as individual ones," a senior official said.

So far 34 states have sent drafts of their plans to the ministry for approval while two are yet to do so. These plans include a set of guidelines to handle the impact of climate change on people’s health over the next five years. Each plan has four main chapters – vulnerability, demography, illness and environmental hazard.

"The purpose of the action plans is to find the adaptive capacity. It also provides guidance for doctors and hospitals on what to do to tackle health hazards related to climate change, manpower requirement, and development of flood-resilient centres so we can determine the impact of climate change and any related disaster," one of the officials said. Adaptive capacity refers to the ability of a (human) system to adjust to climate change, to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the health effects of climate change include respiratory and heart diseases, pest-related diseases like Lyme disease and West Nile Virus, water- and food-related illnesses, and injuries and deaths. Climate change has also been linked to increases in violent crime and overall poor mental health.

The NCDC has been working with states through the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health to help medical officers better understand the impact of climate change on health. The programme involves training sessions, creating systems to collect data to map health issues across the country, and including the impact of climate on human health in the medical curriculum.

According to the officials, the action plans were to be introduced in 2020 but were delayed by the pandemic. They will now be announced after the new government is formed.

Disease control

The NCDC has also been working on vector-borne diseases and zoonotic diseases that could be exacerbated by climate change. "The impact of climate change is clearly visible on vector-borne diseases, and zoonotic diseases are also a rising concern. The decrease in forest areas will lead to a rise in zoonotic diseases and there is a high probability that new viruses will emerge," another official said.

The World Health Organisation’s India office has been closely working with the government and other partners to develop readiness plans and activities such as health vulnerability and adaptation assessments, assessing the health benefits of reducing air pollution, improving water safety, and safe management of sanitation services.

A UNICEF report in 2021 titled ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index’ (CCRI)’ presented the first child-focused global climate risk index. India was ranked 26th out of 163 countries, meaning children in India are among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change on their health, education and protection.

WHO has predicted there will be an additional 250,000 climate-related deaths worldwide every year from 2030 to 2050 through malnutrition, malaria diarrhoea and heat stress, with women, children and people with disabilities especially at risk. UNICEF estimated that almost 25% of children in India are experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability, and that by 2040, almost 600 million children globally will be living in areas of extremely high water stress.