Climate and Human Health

The climate is an essential factor for human bio-comfort and health. Since ancient times, people have used the climate's resources for their health, but at the same time, they have sought ways to cope with climate hazards. Nowadays, bioclimatic issues are gaining even greater importance, given the drastic increase in extreme climate events. There is a growing need for a deeper understanding of these events, the ways and mechanisms by which they affect the biostatus of the human organism, as well as the ways to deal with this problem at the individual and societal level. This report examines the main bioclimatic hazards in Bulgaria and their possible direct and indirect effects on human health. Direct are the effects of heat waves and ice episodes, intense precipitation and floods, strong winds, storms, avalanches, UV radiation overdoses, and contrasting weather changes. On the other hand, weather and climate indirectly affect our health through their influence on the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we consume, and the ecosystems that surround us. The report also comments on some climate-sensitive diseases – respiratory, cardiovascular, and infectious (borne by water, food, air, and vectors). Socio-economic parameters of the society and of the individual have an important bearing on the intensity and number of these climate-related health consequences. Here they are considered as an index of health vulnerability in the country tracked for the period 1995-2020. On the other hand, this report also pays attention to the country's bioclimatic resources, with a view to using them to optimize human health. These are solar, thermal, air, wind, and cryogenic resources.The utilization of bioclimatic resources and dealing with bioclimatic hazards in Bulgaria are issues embedded in a number of state policies at the national and local level. This report sheds light on the main goals, priorities, and measures set out in the National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change. (Funding information: The study is supported by the National Science Fund of Bulgaria, Contract КП-06-ДК1/1).