Page 73 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Climate change and quality of life

climate change since they more often experience high • Proposition 5: Increased CO emissions correlate with
2
temperatures (Levy & Patz, 2015; Newman & Noy, 2023). higher unemployment due to economic shifts.
In addition, their economic growth depends very much on As industries adjust to stricter emissions regulations and
agriculture, natural resource extraction, and other sectors shifts toward greener alternatives, regions dependent
exposed to extreme weather fluctuations. Furthermore, on high-emission industries may experience higher
air conditioning, insurance, and other risk-management unemployment rates. This transition, while beneficial
alternatives are less available in poor countries than in for the environment, can cause significant economic
rich countries (Levy & Patz, 2015). Considering the major restructuring and job displacement in the short term.
adverse effects of climate change on various dimensions of
quality of life, this study undertakes to shed light on the 3.2. Data and variables
association between the two and identify the significant The indicators for climate change and quality of life are
variables and linkages. The following section discusses our shown in Tables 1 and 2. The data were retrieved from the
research methodology. World Development Indicators database (https://databank.
3. Methods worldbank.org/) of the World Bank, for countries whose
data were available for the period 2010 – 2019. The data
3.1. Research question and key propositions were pre-processed to remove missing values. Climate-
The key research question in the current study is to identify related variables such as CO emissions and PM2.5 air
2
key influencers/drivers in the relationship between climate pollution offer insights into climate change while quality of
change and quality of life, at a national level. life indicators, including mortality rates and GDP growth,
reflect the societal impacts of climate change (Bennett
We address the research question by examining the et al., 2019; Chavez-Baeza & Sheinbaum-Pardo, 2014; Guo
following propositions in this descriptive-analytic study. et al., 2020; Ścibor et al., 2019). The breadth of data enables
• Proposition 1: Higher CO emissions are associated with robust visualization using the method of visual analytics.
2
slower GDP growth. Comprehensive data validation and normalization were
CO emissions are a primary GHG source contributing performed to ensure data integrity. A complete dataset was
2
to climate change, which can affect economic available for analysis and interpretation.
dynamics through disruptions in agriculture, health, The selected independent variables offer insights into
and disaster-related damages, potentially slowing the multifaceted ways climate change can affect the national
GDP growth. quality of life indicators. These variables capture different
• Proposition 2: Increased air pollution negatively impacts dimensions of environmental impact, from air and water
child health. quality to GHG emissions, which have direct and indirect
PM2.5, fine particulate matter, is known to be effects on human and ecological health. Understanding the
detrimental to health, particularly in children under nuances of these environmental indicators is essential for
five. Exposure to high levels of air pollution can lead to analyzing their potential impact on a country’s economic
severe health issues, increasing mortality rates in this performance, public health, and social welfare outcomes.
vulnerable group.
• Proposition 3: Methane emissions correlate with The dependent variables stated in Table 2 are essential
higher under-five mortality rates due to environmental for understanding the broader impacts of climate change
impacts. on societal welfare and economic conditions. They
Methane is a potent GHG that contributes significantly encapsulate key aspects of quality of life, including health,
to global warming. Its increase can exacerbate climate education, employment, and economic productivity.
change effects such as heatwaves and poor air quality, Assessing these variables can illuminate the extent to
leading to higher mortality rates among children due which climate change affects daily life and can effectively
to increased susceptibility to respiratory and heat- inform policies that are aimed at mitigating its adverse
related illnesses. effects. The chosen dependent variables are directly linked
• Proposition 4: Air pollution decreases life expectancy, to societal markers of prosperity and resilience in the face
impacting GDP growth. of climate change.
Chronic exposure to high levels of air pollution can
lead to a decrease in life expectancy, affecting the 3.3. Platforms/Tools
overall health of the workforce. Poor health due to Python programming language (Python Software
pollution can reduce productivity and, subsequently, Foundation) was deployed in pre-processing the data to
GDP growth. clean out missing variables and refine the data set. Next,

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 65 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.5018