Impact of climate change on skin cancer

Ozone depletion and climate change are separate entities which are intricately linked. They both have the potential to increase the incidence of skin cancer through different means. Over the last 30 years ozone depletion has received much of the attention, leading to the Montreal Protocol; heralded by Kofi Annan as ‘perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date’. Ozone depletion has lead to an increase in skin cancers and worryingly this is still rising. The depletion will however peak and then the ozone layer will begin to repair itself. Focus must now shift towards analysing the social and behavioural changes that will come about through climate change. Warmer, drier weather in the UK is likely to encourage people to spend more time outdoors and increase their exposure to UVR. The consequence will be an increase in the incidence of skin cancer brought about by behavioural change rather than environmental change. The world has had 30 years of public health initiatives and awareness campaigns. These must be heeded and acted upon now to protect the public from this preventable threat.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697050/