Page 70 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Visualizing the association between climate

change and quality of life

Dongli Zhang 1 , Wullianallur Raghupathi * , and Viju Raghupathi 2
1
1 Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States of America
2 Koppelman School of Business, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY,
United States of America

Abstract

This research delves into the global impact of climate change on quality of life.
Drawing on country-level data from the World Bank, we utilize visual analytics to
examine the association between key climate change indicators such as carbon
dioxide (CO ) and methane emissions, PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) air pollution,
2
annual freshwater withdrawal and quality-of-life variables such as child mortality,
immunization against measles, school enrollment, gross domestic product (GDP)
growth, unemployment, and others. Key findings suggest CO emissions declined in
2
South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, CO emissions appear to be associated
2
with GDP growth, implying that developed countries are responsible for the overall
Academic editor: higher emissions as a result of industrialization. CO emissions are also associated with
2
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE higher unemployment, signaling that health issues are likely causing absenteeism
*Corresponding author: and staying away from jobs. Finally, CO emission is associated with higher air
2
Wullianallur Raghupathi pollution and higher under-five mortality rates. Simultaneously, immunization
(raghupathi@fordham.edu)
rates appear to decline. Another significant finding is that higher air pollution is
Citation: Zhang, D., Raghupathi, associated with higher child mortality, particularly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan
W., & Raghupathi, V. (2025).
Visualizing the association between regions. Generally, emissions and pollution have an adverse impact on quality of life
climate change and quality of life. indicators, affirming the urgent need to mitigate climate change. The results aim to
Global Health Econ Sustain, foster an understanding of the multifaceted effects of climate change and to support
3(2):62-85. the development of effective policies to bolster resilience and improve life quality in
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.5018
the face of environmental shifts.
Submitted: 1 October 2024
Revised: November 6, 2024
Keywords: Air pollution; Climate change; Carbon dioxide emission; Freshwater
Accepted: November 14, 2024 withdrawal; Gross domestic product; Immunization; Mortality rate; Quality of life
Published online: December 9,
2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Global climate change poses a serious threat to the quality of life as it affects many aspects
License, permitting distribution, of human well-being (Dietz et al., 2020; Estoque et al., 2019; IPCC, 2023; Levy & Patz,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is 2015; Semenza et al., 2011). This research examines country-level data to determine how
properly cited. climate variability correlates with quality of life variables. By leveraging data analytics,
Publisher’s Note: AccScience the goal is to gain a better understanding of how climate change impacts living standards.
Publishing remains neutral with These insights are vital for policymakers and researchers in creating strategies to
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional improve resiliency and quality of life amidst environmental changes (Adger et al., 2022;
affiliations. Albouy et al., 2016; Ding & Nunes, 2014; Fan et al., 2018; IPCC, 2023). The investigation

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 62 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.5018