We all need to Breathe Clean Air to Keep our Lungs Healthy: It's our Human Right

Professionals in climate change believe it is the greatest threat to humanity1. Climate change is a substantial risk to lung health, directly by promoting or worsening lung diseases, or secondarily by increasing exposure to risk factors for developing pulmonary diseases. Changes in the environment due to climate change increase the amounts of pollen and allergens produced by different plants, promote the proliferation of mould, and increase concentrations of outdoor ozone and particulate matter at ground level2. Climate change affects lung health in various ways. The decrease in temperature and increase in humidity make a favorable environment for the transmission of flu. Rapid changes in weather conditions increase the risk of flu epidemics. Floods favor the growth of mould that exacerbates bronchial asthma, sinusitis and allergic rhinitis3. The rise in temperature directly or indirectly impacts the lungs. It leads to air pollution, increases exposure to aeroallergens, exacerbates preexisting lung diseases, and increases transmission of respiratory infections1. Polluted air, along with increased temperature, exacerbates asthmatic symptoms3.