Published in 2009, the first Lancet Climate Change Commission’s concluding remark was simple, albeit potent… “Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.”

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The World health organization states that “Although it is unequivocal that climate change affects human health, it remains challenging to accurately estimate the scale and impact of many climate-sensitive health risks. In the short- to medium-term, the health impacts of climate change will be determined mainly by the vulnerability of populations, their resilience to the current rate of climate change, and the extent and pace of adaptation.”

But what happens in the long term when adapting to climate change will simply get harder at which point our bodies are unable to cope with the impact of the environment’s hostility?

Capitalism works as intended when powerful actors profit off of human distress by providing market-based solutions to the social questions that it poses. à la adapting to the consequences of climate change rather than combating its causes.

With the wellness industry now being “one of the world’s fastest, most resilient markets,” outranking the pharmaceutical industry several times over, it’s easy to see wellness, not healthcare, becoming the clear & present winners of the climate change business providing “coping with climate-anxiety” an emerging market to capitalize off of. The International Finance Corporation posits that the Climate Investment Opportunities will total $23 Trillion in Emerging Markets by 2030.

When you have a total addressable market of the entire planet, the climate crisis provides a perfect excuse to make every business a climate business. Climate spas are an example of a near-future venture that weaponizes the declining health of the planet to profit from its impact on the body.