Climate Change and Your Health

How environmental change affects wellbeing and what your GP helps you plan for

Why climate change matters to your health

Climate change is not only an environmental issue. It influences everyday health through temperature extremes, air quality, weather events, and changes to ecosystems. These factors shape how your body copes with heat, infection risk, allergies, food and water safety, and mental wellbeing. The effects often feel gradual, which makes them easy to overlook until they intersect with daily life.

Heat and physical health

Hotter and longer heat periods place stress on the heart, lungs, kidneys, and nervous system. Heat affects hydration, blood pressure, sleep quality, and medication balance. Older adults, young children, pregnant people, and those with chronic conditions feel these effects more strongly. Heat also increases fatigue and reduces exercise tolerance, even in people who consider themselves fit.

Air quality and breathing

Bushfire smoke, dust, and pollution worsen air quality and irritate the airways. Poor air quality links with flare-ups of asthma, chronic lung disease, heart conditions, headaches, and eye irritation. Even people without known lung disease may notice breathlessness, chest tightness, or reduced exercise capacity during smoky or polluted periods.

Infectious disease patterns

Climate change alters how insects, animals, and microbes behave. Warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns influence mosquito activity, food safety risks, and water-borne illness patterns. These changes do not create new diseases overnight, but they affect how often certain infections appear and who becomes exposed.

Mental health and emotional strain

Environmental stressors affect mental wellbeing. Heat, natural disasters, uncertainty, and disruption to routines increase stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and low mood. Repeated exposure to extreme events can also contribute to long-term emotional strain, particularly when people feel a loss of control or worry about family safety and future stability.

Who may feel impacts first

Health effects do not distribute evenly. People with long-term medical conditions, limited housing quality, outdoor occupations, caring responsibilities, or reduced access to cooling and healthcare feel impacts sooner. Children and older adults rely on others for protection and planning, which makes supportive environments especially important.

How your GP supports practical planning

A GP helps translate broad environmental issues into personal health planning. This may include medication reviews during heat, advice on hydration and sleep, respiratory care during poor air quality, vaccination and infection-prevention discussions, and support for stress and anxiety. The focus stays practical, realistic, and tailored to your circumstances.

When to seek a GP review

If heat intolerance, breathing symptoms, sleep disruption, repeated infections, or emotional distress start affecting daily life, a GP review helps identify contributing factors and safe next steps. Early conversations support prevention rather than crisis response.

This article provides general health information only and does not replace medical advice. Please speak with your GP for personalised care.