The health risks and impacts of climate change are not equally distributed across people, communities or nations, and they differ by geographical location, race/ethnicity and income.  For individuals, two critical components that make them more susceptible to the effects of climate change are pre-existing health status and living conditions.  As these conditions are disproportionately found in low-income and communities of color, they are, and will continue to be, unequally affected by the health impacts of climate change.  How this will be manifested in Arkansas specifically, has not yet been determined.

The effects of climate change on human health are significant and, across the globe, increases in starvation, heat injury, allergy, mental health problems, and infectious diseases, are being recorded.  While the worst effects of climate change are, and will continue to occur at the north and south poles and at the equator, changes are having an impact across the planet and in Arkansas as well.  While an increase in night-time temperatures is already being recorded, other changes, potentially resulting from climate change, are anticipated including rainfall rates, pollen levels, and air pollution levels.   Many of these changes will directly and indirectly impact the health of individuals and the healthcare system in general.  As an example, treatment for heat exhaustion in Pulaski County during the last 7 years has nearly doubled, and these treatments happened when temperatures were above 90 degrees F.

Number of individuals in Pulaski County hospitalized with heat exhaustion 2012-2018

Data Source: Hospital Discharge Data, Health Statistics Branch, Arkansas Department of Health