3 out of 5 Koreans Say "Climate Change Seriously Affects Health"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Three out of five citizens recognize that the impact of climate change on health is serious.

On the 30th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine held a "2022 Public Forum to Raise Awareness of Climate Health Risks" at the Seoul National University Cancer Research Institute and announced the results of a survey with this content.

According to the Basic Health and Medical Services Act, the KDCA investigates and evaluates the health effects of climate change every five years. This survey was conducted online by Next Research from August 29 to September 7, targeting 1,500 men and women nationwide aged 19 and older.

In response to the question, "How much do you think climate change affects health?" 63.2% answered "serious." The percentage of respondents worried about climate change was 87.4%. Additionally, 69.7% of respondents said, "There is not enough information about the impact of climate change on health."

The most serious climate change issue was identified as "extreme weather events such as heavy rain and drought" by 41.4% of respondents. Changes in temperature such as heatwaves and cold spells (28.0%), and air quality pollution such as fine dust (14.5%) followed.

Furthermore, 78.1% of survey respondents agreed with government policies aiming for carbon neutrality.

At the public forum held that day, the first domestic "Climate Health Impact Assessment," announced last March, was discussed along with communication, education, and publicity plans related to climate health. Kwon Byung-ki, Director of Health Risk Response at the KDCA, stated, "Public interest in climate change and health impacts is high, but the delivery of related information is insufficient," adding, "We will develop scientifically based content to enhance public awareness of climate health and utilize it for communication."