Rao Shilpa, Gutzkow Kristine B, Hyllestad Susanne, Jore Solveig, Thomsen Cathrine, Andersen Gro D, Rautio Arja, Abass Khaled, Berner Jim, Brantsæter Anne Lise, Dirven Hubert, Låg Marit, Meltzer Helle Margarete, Aakra Ågot, Øvrevik Johan, Instanes Christine
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
University of Oulo, Finland.
Scand J Public Health. 2025 Mar;53(2):207-214. doi: 10.1177/14034948241296309. Epub 2025 Mar 13.
Adverse human-driven environmental change, including the climate, is having an increasing impact on the Arctic environment and its ecosystems. There has been immense interest in understanding the health risks related to climate change in the Arctic region. In this article, we review recent evidence related to climate change and its impacts on the health of the Arctic population.
We summarize current evidence related to primary, secondary and tertiary health effects in the Arctic. We explore a broad range of effects on health including increased exposure to extreme weather, impacts from changes in water quality, air quality, contaminant exposure, food systems and patterns of infectious diseases. We also briefly discuss mental health effects in the Arctic. We conclude by examining further challenges and opportunities for research in this field and advocate the need for adaptation options in the Arctic.
We find that there is a large amount of literature that is focusing on the human health effects in the Arctic but there are still research gaps in terms of understanding these compared with those at lower latitudes. We point out the need for filling several of these knowledge gaps to project future health effects of climate change in the Arctic.
There is a need for integrated adaptation strategies in the Arctic that fully account for the health impacts and consider indigenous perspectives.
包括气候在内的由人类驱动的不利环境变化，正日益影响北极环境及其生态系统。人们对了解北极地区与气候变化相关的健康风险有着浓厚兴趣。在本文中，我们回顾了与气候变化及其对北极居民健康影响相关的最新证据。
我们总结了北极地区与一级、二级和三级健康效应相关的当前证据。我们探讨了对健康的广泛影响，包括暴露于极端天气增加、水质变化、空气质量、污染物暴露、食物系统以及传染病模式的影响。我们还简要讨论了北极地区的心理健康影响。我们通过审视该领域研究的进一步挑战和机遇得出结论，并倡导在北极地区采取适应措施的必要性。
我们发现有大量文献关注北极地区对人类健康的影响，但与低纬度地区相比，在理解这些影响方面仍存在研究空白。我们指出需要填补其中一些知识空白，以预测气候变化对北极地区未来的健康影响。
北极地区需要综合适应策略，充分考虑健康影响并考虑原住民的观点。
