In Asia’s most climate-vulnerable countries, global warming is also threatening people’s sexual and reproductive health, studies show, with fires, floods and pollution all posing extra hazards to the most vulnerable.
Experts say that aside from devastating the natural environment, extreme weather can also endanger the health of pregnant women, adolescent girls, new-borns and LGBTQ+ people.
Yet the World Health Organization says the needs of people who face climate-related health hazards are often neglected, citing copious research in the Journal of Global Health.
Last month, experts at an International Conference on Family Planning flagged the growing correlation between rising heat and poor outcomes for women and babies, and called for increased funding for sexual and reproductive health to bolster resilience.
So what are the health impacts of climate change and how can the world address them?
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This is an excellent opportunity for the climate sector and the global health and sexual and reproductive health and rights community to come together.
Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, head, Population Action International
What’s the impact on maternal health, minorities and babies?
Extreme weather makes it harder for women and girls to access contraception, maternal care and a safe place to give birth. It also reduces the support available to vulnerable people who face discrimination or gender-based violence.
This year saw record heatwaves, crop failures and typhoons across Asia, which researchers in turn linked to an increase in pre-term births, stillbirths and maternal complications.
Climate Central, an independent group of climate scientists and communicators, studied temperatures from 2020-2024 and found that almost one in three countries had experienced at least an extra month of high heat, a level that poses risks to pregnancy.
Typhoons and floods may also have practical implications, affecting people’s access to healthcare facilities and lowering the quality of care they receive, the review said.
