Climate change is multiplying the threat caused by antimicrobial resistance

Climate change is a threat multiplier for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as it increases global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions, and rising sea levels. This is due to the ecological and environmental integrity of living systems, enabling pathogens to increasingly cause disease. Climate change also changes the physical and environmental conditions in which microbes live, making it easier for them to develop AMR. Professor Sabiha Essack warns that to deal with this threat, political leadership, strong global and local policy frameworks, evidence-based solutions, and implementation research are needed.