Public Health Hazards under Climate Stress: The Role of Socioeconomic Dynamics in Pakistan

Climate change presents a substantial risk to public health by affecting environmental conditions, disease dynamics, and the socioeconomic frameworks that underpin well-being. In poor nations such as Pakistan, where health systems encounter structural limitations, the dual stresses of climate change and socioeconomic inequalities may intensify pre-existing health risks. This research investigates the correlation between climate change, significant socioeconomic factors, and health outcomes in Pakistan. Utilizing annual time series data from 1981 to 2021, obtained from the World Development Indicators (WDI) and NASA, the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is employed after unit root test outcomes indicating a mixed order of integration. The bound F-test validates the presence of a long-term cointegrating relationship among the variables. Long-term estimations indicate that enhanced economic conditions correlate positively with health status, implying that economic expansion and higher living standards mitigate health hazards. Conversely, markers of climate change have an adverse effect, suggesting that escalating climatic stresses heighten health risks. These findings underscore the pressing necessity for cohesive policy initiatives that concurrently bolster economic resilience and alleviate the health consequences of climate change. Strategic interventions may encompass climate-resilient health infrastructure, early warning systems for climate-induced health hazards, poverty reduction initiatives, and sustainable environmental stewardship to protect human health over the long run. JEL Codes : I15, I12, Q54, Q56