Climate-Related Challenges, Risk, Environmental Health Promotion: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Resumo

Climate change has intensified the frequency, severity, and geographic reach of extreme weather events, posing growing risks to human and environmental health worldwide. This study is a descriptive-analytical systematic literature review (PRISMA), combined with a case study of an interdisciplinary research group, examining scientific production and official data on global climate-related disasters from 2004 to 2024, with emphasis on historical trends and geographic distribution. Data were drawn from specialized databases and international organizations, including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, IPCC, EM-DAT, NOAA, NASA, WMO, and UNDRR. Results show a marked acceleration of climate disasters in the last two decades: between 2004 and 2024, 7.348 events were recorded, causing approximately 1.23 million deaths, affecting 4.2 billion people, and generating an estimated US$2.97 trillion in economic losses, representing substantial increases relative to the 1980-1999 period. The most affected regions include the Americas, Europe, and other areas exposed to hurricanes, flooding, drought, and wildfires, with disproportionate impacts on developing countries and socially vulnerable populations. The findings reinforce the unequivocal scientific recognition of anthropogenic influence on extreme events and underscore the urgency of mitigation, adaptation, and climate justice measures. The study also highlights the interdisciplinary and intersectoral contribution of ethnobotany, traditional knowledge, bioethics, and environmental health promotion in addressing these challenges, in line with the One Health approach, promoted to “movement people” whose collectives (cultures and traditions) were under social vulnerability as social subjects and work was performed at local level. It is concluded that the current decade is critical for shaping the planetary climate trajectory, requiring integrated, culturally sensitive, and interdisciplinary strategies to reduce human suffering and promote the well-being of both: people and ecosystems.