Climate Change Linked to Illness for Millions Worldwide

This year, a study published in EBioMedicine has shown that global warming has facilitated the penetration of bacteria and other microorganisms into food products. As noted, this little-discussed threat of climate change delivers harmful, and sometimes life-threatening, lessons to hundreds of millions of people each year.

For every 1.8°C rise in temperature, there is a 5% increase in the risk of infection from non-typhoidal salmonella and campylobacter, which cause illnesses in humans and often lead to food poisoning. A review article published in the journal Climate Change indicates that rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns contribute to the proliferation of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, including the most common ones: salmonella, E. coli, and campylobacter.

"The rise in temperature promotes the growth of bacteria such as listeria, campylobacter, and salmonella in perishable food products like meat, dairy, and seafood," said a co-author of the study.