Climate change is often seen as an environmental issue, yet its impacts reach far deeper and impact both our physical and our mentale health. This was the key message delivered by Professor Yue Leon Guo, a leading expert in environmental and occupational medicine from National Taiwan University, at a lecture hosted by Aleš Urban in FZP on October 14, 2025. Professor Guo, author of more than 400 international publications and a Fellow of the prestigious Collegium Ramazzini, has devoted his career to studying the health effects of air pollution, climate change, allergens, and endocrine disruptors.
In his talk, Climate Change and Health, Professor Guo pointed out that the links between climate and human health remain underestimated, yet they affect everyone. Elevated temperatures have been shown to increase the risk of depression and suicide, particularly among older adults and men. Recent studies reveal that higher annual temperatures correlate with greater incidence of mood disorders, with underlying mechanisms involving body temperature, inflammation markers, neurotransmitters, and sleep disruption. Climate change also alters our living environments: rising humidity fosters mould growth and worsens indoor air quality, contributing to an increase in allergies and respiratory diseases.
Professor Guo also highlighted the growing role of wearable technologies in monitoring climate-related health effects. Devices such as smartwatches, spirometers, and glucose monitors now allow real-time tracking of physiological responses like resting heart rate and heat adaptation. These insights, he suggested, could become essential tools for prevention and early detection of health risks. As Professor Guo concluded, understanding the relationship between climate and health will be essentail to protecting public health in the years ahead.
