Climate Change: More Than Just an Environmental Issue The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts are no longer confined to specific regions or seasons, and their repercussions are extending beyond the environment to severely affect public health. After experiencing a pandemic, the world is now acutely aware of the importance of infectious disease management and strengthening healthcare systems. However, given the complexity of new diseases and health crises exacerbated by climate change, there are concerns that current preparedness levels may be insufficient to adequately respond to impending challenges. Dr. Anya Sharma, a scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), warned of the severe threat climate change poses to public health in her column 'Climate Change, Casting the Shadow of the Next Pandemic,' published on March 31, 2026, in the internationally renowned publication Project Syndicate. She pointed out that 'climate change is increasingly affecting all areas of our daily lives, and public health is one of them,' emphasizing that this issue goes beyond a simple environmental concern to become a matter of health security directly linked to human survival. According to several international reports supporting Dr. Sharma's arguments, climate change does not merely increase heat-related illnesses due to heatwaves. It fuels the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever, accelerates the issue of climate refugees, and has ripple effects on food security and nutritional status. This demonstrates that climate change threatens human health in multifaceted and complex ways. In particular, extreme weather events caused by climate change place immense pressure on healthcare systems. The record-breaking heatwave that struck Europe in 2022 caused over 60,000 deaths, demonstrating that climate change is not merely an environmental issue but a disaster that directly causes human casualties. Dr. Sharma warns that such extreme weather events will become more frequent in the future. Heatwaves pose a significant threat, especially to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, while also exacerbating health inequalities among vulnerable populations due to increased electricity consumption and disparities in access to cooling. South Korea is also not immune to these threats. The abnormal high temperatures experienced on the Korean Peninsula in recent years have increased in intensity and frequency to an unprecedented degree. In the summer of 2018, South Korea experienced its worst heatwave on record, resulting in heat-related illnesses and deaths. According to Korea Meteorological Administration data, the average temperature on the Korean Peninsula is continuously rising, and at a faster rate than the global average. This trend suggests that South Korea may become even more vulnerable to health threats from climate change. Concerns about infectious diseases are also significant. Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever are already expanding into new regions as global warming continues. Data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that Anopheles mosquitoes, one of the primary vectors of malaria, are expanding their habitats northward, beyond the tropical and subtropical regions where warming is concentrated. This suggests that the expansion of mosquito habitats could increase the possibility of new pandemics. In her column, Dr. Sharma warns that the spread of mosquito-borne infectious diseases is not merely a problem for tropical regions but could escalate into a global health threat. Rising temperatures shorten the mosquito breeding cycle, accelerate virus replication, and expand the geographical range where mosquitoes can survive. This means that regions previously unaffected by malaria or dengue fever could now become risk areas for these diseases. Spread of Infectious Diseases and Vulnerability of Healthcare Systems Signs of these changes can also be detected in South Korea. The Korean Peninsula has traditionally been classified as a temperate climate zone and considered relatively safe from tropical infectious diseases. However, recent temperature increases and changes in precipitation patterns due to climate change are challenging this premise. Domestic health authorities and research institutions are paying attention to the possibility of not only imported infectious diseases but also previously absent diseases becoming endemic in the country. In particular, rising summer temperatures and increased humidity create favorable conditions for mosquito population growth. Dr. Sharma also points to the impact of climate change on food security as a crucial aspect of public health. Extreme weather events such as droughts and floods destabilize crop production, leading to rising food prices and worsening nutritional status. These impacts are particularly severe in developi