Leveraging AI and data science to mitigate the respiratory health impacts of climate change in Africa: Organisation, costs, and challenges

The impacts of climate change on health, particularly respiratory health, have continued to generate
concerns globally [1,2]. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its Fifth
Assessment Report, identified climate change as a significant factor that amplifies existing health vulnerabilities [3]. It highlighted that human health is particularly sensitive to climate fluctuations, with recent
observations showing that certain diseases are spreading into previously unaffected regions. In Africa, where
healthcare systems already face substantial health burden, climate change exacerbates existing respiratory
health issues like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with worsening symptoms
being often reported [4,5].