Climate change is exacerbating disparities in health care in countries around the world. Dr. Vanessa Kerry, special envoy for climate change and health at the World Health Organization and director of global and climate policy at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, states in an interview with Stat News that climate change is here and has an impact on our health. Her work in several African countries underscores how poorer populations are deeply vulnerable to climate change even though these countries are responsible for only 3% of greenhouse gases. Dr. Kerry emphasizes that the climate crisis is a health crisis; people’s personal security is very much at risk, as climate change is driving all disease burdens. Communicable and non-communicable diseases are rising, and are very expensive to manage. Heart issues, asthma, and other chronic diseases affect people’s ability to work to support themselves and their families. Extreme heat costs the U.S. $100 billion annually in productivity, which is expected to rise, and extreme weather events like hurricanes and flooding have also had a profound impact on the people in their paths. Dr. Kerry advocates for protecting and investing in our health care workforce, which will help close equity and care gaps, provide higher quality services, address prevention of disease and provide resilience in the face of widespread disease events like the COVID pandemic. She states that the economic and security benefits in making these kinds of investments far outweighs the investments themselves.