Climate change and health in the rural context: Vulnerability, capacity and outlook

Desiree Rose and Stephen Jeff Birchall

PLOS Climate, 2026, vol. 5, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: On a global scale, climate change is resulting in negative impacts to human health. As temperatures rise, morbidity and mortality rates continue to climb. While the health effects of climate change are experienced across regions, the burden is unevenly distributed. Rural communities in particular are disproportionately impacted. This essay aims to draw attention to the climate-health nexus from a rural perspective, emphasizing the necessity of centring the rural context at the forefront of the climate response. In this paper we showcase the unique characteristics of rural communities that increase their social and physical vulnerability to climate-health impacts, then discuss the constraining factors that reduce their capacity to respond to these impacts. In doing so, we highlight both the importance of ensuring rural populations are prioritized in the climate response, and suggest that efforts to do so are currently inadequate. We call attention to the dearth of climate-health research framed within the rural context, which further compounds the issue. Given the intersecting challenges that increase risk in rural communities, we argue that this perspective warrants further research attention.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pclm00:0000974

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000974

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