Climate-related Health and Environmental Data in Selected Asian Countries

Climate change is a global phenomenon, although its effects vary across regions. In Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, rising temperatures have been documented. The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change has identified key health and environmental indicators associated with climate change.

This study aimed to examine selected health and environmental factors related to climate change in the Philippines and selected Asian countries.

This descriptive study utilized secondary data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 Health-related Sustainable Development Goals Indicators, 1990-2030. A database was constructed through the compilation of relevant indicators identified as health and environmental problems associated with climate change, based on the 2018 Lancet Countdown framework. Data were obtained for the following countries: the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Selected indicators included air pollution mortality, non-communicable disease mortality, neglected tropical diseases prevalence, disaster mortality, malaria mortality, household air pollution, ambient PM2.5 exposure, unimproved sanitation, and unsafe water.

Trends in health and environmental indicators related to climate change were described across countries. In the Philippines, air pollution mortality peaked in 2012 at 110.54 deaths per 100,000 population, while neighboring countries demonstrated a generally declining trend. Air pollution mortality and household air pollution showed parallel increasing trends in the Philippines, unlike in other countries. Non-communicable disease mortality in the Philippines increased steadily from 425 per 100,000 population in 1990 to 543 in 2017. Indonesia showed a similar increasing trend from 464.7 in 2005 to 494 in 2017. The Philippines recorded the highest prevalence of neglected tropical diseases in Southeast Asia at 28%, with a peak of 70.33% in 2000. Laos had the highest prevalence of unimproved sanitation in 2017 at 62.919%.

This descriptive analysis identified key health and environmental factors associated with climate change in selected Asian countries using Global Burden of Disease data. Findings highlight persistent and emerging climate-related health challenges in the Philippines relative to neighboring countries.