When we held our Lancet–UNRWA–WHO–IFMSA side-event at the World Health Assembly in May this year, I doubt that anyone in the room thought the health crisis in Gaza could get much worse. Rik Peeperkorn...

Israelis raus – das wurde unter viel Applaus auf der diesjährigen internationalen Konferenz von Medizinstudierenden beschlossen

Bimal Khadka (second from right) joins activists demanding climate action at COP29. For the 29th UN climate conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, IPPNW and its UK affiliate, Medact…

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Lívia Maria, a medical student in Brazil with a strong academic interest in global health. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one. Climate change is no longer a distant environmental concern; it is a defining global health emergency. Yet, within this crisis, one of its most consequential dimensions remains persistently overlooked: its disproportionate impact on women’s health. This is not simply a matter of vulnerability but of structural invisibility, where biological susceptibility intersects with entrenched social and economic inequalities. Compelling evidence from global health research makes it clear that climate change is a profoundly gendered health crisis. Rising temperatures, for instance, are consistently associated with increased risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. These outcomes reflect complex physiological responses, including maternal dehydration, placental dysfunction, and systemic inflammation. However, they also expose systemic failures, particularly in low-resource settings, where access to maternal care and adaptive infrastructure remains insufficient. Air pollution, driven by...