Top climate change stories of 2022

Earlier this year, the AMA declared climate change as a public health crisis threatening the well-being of all people.

To combat the health effects of climate change, the AMA advocated for policies that support limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It was Healio’s most popular story on climate change of 2022.

Other top stories explored how climate change is impacting pregnant women, with intensified environmental exposures putting maternal health in a vulnerable position, and an uptick of disease-causing fungal pathogens fueled by changes in rain and temperature.

Read more of Healio’s climate change coverage below:

AMA: Climate change is a public health crisis

The AMA declared that climate change is a public health crisis via a policy it adopted during the annual meeting of its House of Delegates. Read more.

Climate change is causing fungal pathogens to spread: Here's what providers should know

Fungal pathogens that can cause various diseases will likely become more prevalent in the next 10 years thanks to climate change, according to a recent commentary. Read more.

ACP recommends actions to mitigate climate change's impact on health

More must be done to address the serious health consequences from climate change, according to the ACP. Read more.

Particles associated with climate change may cause lung cancer in never-smokers

Exposure to increased concentrations of airborne particulate matter appeared associated with increased risk for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer among never-smokers, according to study results presented at ESMO Congress. Read more.

Pregnant women ‘particularly vulnerable’ to climate change

Environmental exposures heightened by climate change adversely affect maternal and newborn health, and women are “particularly vulnerable” to these effects, according to a speaker at The Pregnancy Meeting. Read more.

VIDEO: Pregnant people have already experienced climate change ‘firsthand’

A recent perspective published in The New England Journal of Medicine explored the effects climate change has already had on the vulnerable population of pregnant people and their children, and what needs to be done to protect them. Read more.

Earlier, longer pollen seasons due to climate change expected to impact allergy, asthma

Increasing temperatures as part of climate change will lead to earlier and longer pollen seasons by the end of the century, impacting allergy and asthma outcomes, according to a study published in Nature Communications. Read more.

Climate change cited as cause of recent increases in asthma, allergy prevalence

The effects of climate change may be responsible for recent increases in asthma and allergy disorder prevalence, spectrum and severity, according to an editorial published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Read more.

Climate change is progressing faster than expected, threatening human health

The environmental and societal impacts of climate change are progressing more rapidly than previously expected, nearing limits to what society can feasibly adapt to, according to a recent report. Read more.

VIDEO: Spotlight on the impact of climate change on lung health

In this Healio exclusive, Erika M. Moseson, MD, highlights the impact of pollution and the changing climate on lung health. Read more.