A recent study has found a worrying connection between climate change and rising cancer rates in women. Scientists looked at cancer cases in 17 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on four types that affect women the most: breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancer. They compared how the number of these cancer cases changed as temperatures went up over the years.
What they found was quite shocking. Every time the temperature rose by just 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (or 1 degree Celsius), hundreds more women were diagnosed with cancer. Ovarian cancer showed the biggest increase, with up to 280 more cases per 100,000 women. Breast cancer had the smallest increase, but even then, it still rose by 173 cases per 100,000 women. These numbers may seem small on their own, but across large populations and over many years, they add up to a serious public health issue.
It wasn’t just diagnoses that increased—deaths from these cancers also went up as temperatures rose. The number of women dying from these cancers almost doubled for every 1.8°F rise. Again, ovarian cancer saw the sharpest increase in deaths.
One of the lead researchers, Dr. Wafa Abuelkheir Mataria, said that even though the numbers go up slowly with each degree of temperature increase, the total impact is very large when you consider how many people are affected. These small changes in climate are having a big effect on women’s health.
Dr. Sungsoo Chun, another researcher, explained how climate change might be making cancer more common. As the planet gets hotter, there are more wildfires, heatwaves, and storms. These disasters can release dangerous chemicals into the air and water—some of which are known to cause cancer. Hotter weather can also make it harder for people to get medical care. Clinics may shut down during storms, or people may be too focused on surviving daily heat or rebuilding their homes to attend medical check-ups or screenings. All of these problems combined can lead to more cancer going undetected and untreated.
The study also pointed out that women, especially those who are pregnant or living in poverty, are more at risk. They are more likely to live in areas with poor environmental conditions and less likely to have access to doctors and hospitals. These women are not only exposed to more harmful chemicals and pollution, but also have fewer options for early detection and treatment of cancer. This means they are more likely to be diagnosed late, when the disease is harder to treat.
Although the researchers haven’t proven that climate change directly causes cancer, the connection is strong enough to raise alarm. The rise in temperature seems to affect health in ways that scientists are still learning about, and this study shows how important it is to take climate change seriously—not just for the environment, but for human health too.
All of this becomes even more concerning when leaders like former President Donald Trump dismiss climate change as a hoax or pull out of global agreements meant to reduce its impact. While some people argue about whether climate change is real, studies like this one show that it’s already affecting lives in dangerous ways. And for many women, it could be a matter of life and death.
