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  • 🌱 Climate Change Is Hurting Our Bodies — So Why Stop Studying It? 🧬🚫

🌱 Climate Change Is Hurting Our Bodies — So Why Stop Studying It? 🧬🚫

Climate change is already harming our health — from heatstroke to respiratory illness — yet the NIH has stopped funding research into its impacts. This article explores why that decision matters, what’s at stake, and why we must keep science at the center of public health policy.

Author

Green Glow
April 20, 2025

The world is getting hotter, and not just politically. Wildfires rage longer, heat waves hit harder, and natural disasters grow more relentless. Behind every headline about climate chaos, there’s another quieter story — the one about our bodies. Rising temperatures don’t just destroy environments; they affect our lungs, our hearts, our mental health. And yet, just as scientists are beginning to understand how climate change is making us sick, the U.S. government is walking away from the research.

In a recent policy shift under the Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it would no longer prioritize funding for research into the health impacts of climate change. The directive came with broader restrictions on other politically sensitive topics, including gender identity, vaccine hesitancy, and diversity efforts. But the climate-health connection — a rapidly evolving field — is now in real danger of being silenced.

So we must ask: If climate change is hurting us, why would we choose to stop studying it?

Table of Contents

How Climate Change Harms Human Health

The impacts of climate change on human health are well-documented and increasingly urgent. Scientists have identified numerous pathways through which rising global temperatures and extreme weather events affect our bodies:

  • Heat-related illnesses: Prolonged exposure to heat waves causes dehydration, heatstroke, and cardiovascular stress — particularly deadly for the elderly, children, and those with chronic conditions.

  • Air pollution and respiratory disease: Wildfires, worsened by dry and hot climates, release toxic smoke that worsens asthma, bronchitis, and other lung diseases.

  • Vector-borne diseases: Warmer climates expand the habitats of mosquitoes and ticks, leading to more cases of diseases like Lyme, dengue, and Zika.

  • Mental health impacts: Displacement, loss from disasters, and the chronic anxiety of climate instability are fueling a rise in eco-anxiety, PTSD, and depression.

These are not distant threats. They are happening now, affecting people across the United States and the world. And researchers, many funded by the NIH, have been racing to understand these dynamics — not just to document suffering but to find solutions.

What the NIH’s Policy Change Means

According to an internal NIH memo obtained by The New York Times, the agency has instructed employees to advise grant applicants to remove all references to climate change from their proposals — even if the research topic is only indirectly related. The NIH’s official position now is “not to prioritize” climate-related health research.

This move comes under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now heading the Department of Health and Human Services. A controversial figure known for promoting anti-vaccine misinformation, Kennedy is overseeing a broad rollback of research that touches on socially or politically charged issues.

For public health, this is more than just a funding shift — it's a chilling message to scientists: Stay away from topics that make power uncomfortable.

The Consequences of Defunding Climate Health Research

Cutting off research dollars doesn’t just stall innovation. It sets us back in preparing for — and adapting to — a world already changing. Here’s what we stand to lose:

  • Early warning systems: Understanding how climate triggers health crises helps cities prepare for and prevent deaths during heat waves or wildfires.

  • Policy solutions: Data-driven studies inform everything from building codes to emergency medical response planning.

  • Equity in public health: Climate change doesn’t affect everyone equally. Poorer communities, communities of color, and those with limited healthcare access bear the brunt. Without research, we can’t design policies that protect the most vulnerable.

  • Public trust in science: When agencies suppress inquiry, it fuels distrust and misinformation, undermining our ability to respond to health crises — climate-related or otherwise.

History Repeating — Or Breaking Free?

This isn’t the first time politics has stifled science. But the stakes today are existential. In a time when the planet is quite literally on fire, the role of science should be clearer than ever.

We don’t get to pause climate change just because it’s inconvenient to talk about. The Earth isn’t waiting for elections or shifting political winds. It’s moving forward — and we’re on it.

Conclusion

The decision to stop funding climate-health research isn’t just shortsighted — it’s dangerous. Our bodies are on the front lines of the climate crisis, and our best defense is knowledge. Scientists aren’t just studying problems; they’re looking for ways to keep people alive.

If we turn our backs on that, we’re not just ignoring science. We’re abandoning each other.

So instead of asking whether it’s politically expedient to study how climate change affects health, maybe we should ask: What happens to us if we don’t?

FAQs

How does climate change affect human health?

Climate change impacts health in many ways — from increasing heat-related illnesses and worsening air quality, to spreading vector-borne diseases and triggering mental health issues. Vulnerable populations are often hit the hardest.

Why is the NIH defunding research on climate-related health effects?

Under the Trump administration and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the NIH has deprioritized politically sensitive topics like climate change, diversity, and vaccine hesitancy, instructing scientists to remove such references from grant proposals.

What are the risks of cutting this type of research?

Without climate-health research, we lose valuable insights into how to protect communities during climate-driven disasters. It also hampers policy-making, public health preparation, and equitable resource allocation for at-risk populations.

Is this decision final? Can it be reversed?

Policies can change with new leadership or public pressure. Scientists, advocacy groups, and concerned citizens can push for renewed funding and scientific freedom through legislative action and public engagement.

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