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Review
. 2025 Feb 4;11(3):e42455.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42455. eCollection 2025 Feb 15.

Mapping climate change interaction with human health through DPSIR framework: Qatar perspective

Haneen I Eldos  1 , Furqan Tahir  2 , U N Athira  2 , Hend O Mohamed  1 , Bincy Samuel  1 , Sini Skariah  1 , Sami G Al-Ghamdi  2 , Tareq Al-Ansari  3 , Ali A Sultan  1
Affiliations
Review

Mapping climate change interaction with human health through DPSIR framework: Qatar perspective

Haneen I Eldos et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

This study investigates the interactions between climate change and human health with a particular focus on Qatar, using the DPSIR (Driving Forces, Pressures, States, Impacts, Responses) framework. Key drivers, including economic development and population growth, contribute to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, exerting pressure on Qatar's climate through rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, as modeled by the MIT Regional Climate Model (MRCM). The findings reveal critical gaps in understanding the state of climate-health interactions, including insufficient disease data, incomplete climate-health linkages, and significant research gaps. These limitations hinder targeted responses to climate-sensitive diseases, which have shown an increase over the years. The study identifies the pathways through which climatic shifts contribute to immediate health risks, such as heat-related illnesses and respiratory conditions, as well as long-term impacts, including chronic diseases and mental health challenges. Despite Qatar's efforts through national and international strategies, the DPSIR analysis highlights the urgent need for enhanced research, improved data collection, and tailored actions to address these challenges. Strengthened adaptation, resilience-building, and emission reduction strategies remain essential for safeguarding public health in the face of accelerating climate change.

Keywords: Climate change impacts; Heat-related illness; Human health; Qatar; Vector-borne diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CO2 emissions for Qatar compared to global emissions, both in total (Mton CO2 eq.) and per capita, from 1990 to 2022.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Global temperature trends from 1970 to 2024, based on observed data from NOAA and HadCRUT5, and projected temperature changes from 2015 to 2099 under the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Annual cycles of monthly climatology of mean temperature and relative humidity (b) for Al-Khor, Doha and Wakrah during historical (1975–2005) and future projections (2070–2100), based on the ensemble mean of the MRCM model under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Inter-annual variability of precipitation for Doha city during historical (1975–2005) and future projections (2070–2100) under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Climate change as " Pressure" on human health.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
State of different climate sensitive diseases in Qatar based on Literature.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Understanding Heat stress: Physiological Responses and Heat Related illness.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Climate change: escalating the dynamics of vector-borne diseases.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Direct physiological impacts and indirect consequences of climate change on respiratory health.
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Direct and Indirect Impact of Climate change on Mental Health.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Detailed DPSIR framework for the impact of climate change on human health in Qatar.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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