Climate change poses serious health risks for all countries in our Region. We see increased rates of heat stress, while extreme weather events lead to displaced populations and a rise in diseases spread through water and food. Changes in rainfall patterns, drought and rising sea levels cause food insecurity and malnutrition. Vector-borne diseases, like malaria and dengue, increase in areas of flooding due to more breeding sites for insects. People's mental health is affected, both as a direct result of trauma related to extreme weather events and indirectly through social, economic and environmental disruptions.

At the same time, extreme weather events, such as tropical cyclones and intense precipitation, associated with climate change can damage health infrastructure and disrupt the delivery of health services.

For Pacific islands, climate change poses a significant threat to health due to the region's unique geographic and socio-economic conditions. Rising sea levels are threatening to erode whole islands and atolls, and with them the only homes many people have ever known.

Other environmental issues also threaten the health of people in our Region, including air, soil and water pollution, and thermal extremes.

WHO supports countries to:

• Develop stronger arguments about the relationship between climate change, environmental degradation and health, including the economic case for climate change action that protects health.
• Monitor the health impacts of climate and environmental change on health.
• Prioritize health sector resilience to climate and environmental change in strategies and action plans.
• Strengthen climate resilient and low carbon health systems.

We want to ensure that countries and communities are well prepared to face a changing climate and environment, and that the health sector becomes a strong force for preserving the planet.

Learn more about how we will further tackle the health challenges of climate change and other environmental threats in the draft vision for health: Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region (2025−2029).

• WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050 climate change will cause an additional 250 000 deaths each year.
• WHO estimates that ambient air pollution alone causes more than 1 million deaths in the Region every year, and an even greater number due to indoor air pollution.