Living in a hotter world: the health consequences of global warming

Global warming has accelerated rapidly-with global temperatures rising since the Industrial Revolution-driving increasingly frequent, prolonged, and unpredictable heat waves.These climatic shifts expose vulnerable populations to substantial and escalating health risks.This review synthesizes current evidence on the health consequences of living in a hotter world, focusing on clinically relevant mechanisms linking environmental heat exposure to adverse physiological and systemic outcomes.Epidemiological data show associations between elevated temperatures and increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular causes.Heat exposure also contributes to kidney diseases, and the mental health burden of heat is also increasingly recognized, with temperature extremes being associated with psychological distress and worsening psychiatric symptoms.In the respiratory system, heat can exacerbate asthma and COPD, and climate-related events such as wildfires and air pollution further amplify lung inflammation and respiratory mortality.Importantly, inhaled therapies for chronic airway diseases have emerged as a relevant dimension of climate-health interactions.Metered dose inhalers, which rely on propellants with high global warming potential, have higher carbon footprints when compared with propellant-free dry powder or soft mist inhalers.Clinically appropriate transitions to inhaler options with lower global warming potential represent a meaningful opportunity to reduce emissions without compromising therapeutic efficacy.The burden of heat-related illness is unequally distributed, with socioeconomically disadvantaged populations experiencing the greatest harm.As climate change intensifies, the health sector, particularly the field of pulmonology, holds a critical role in recognizing heat-related illness; advancing climate-resilient models of care; reducing the carbon footprint of inhaled therapies; and advocating for policies that promote both human and planetary health.