Human health is directly and indirectly influenced by the effects of climate change Ð air and sea temperatures, rainfall and more frequent and severe climate extremes. These effects do not impact on human populations uniformly, however, and this chapter looks at the interplay between climate and the different lifestyles that follow societal transitions, from hunting and gathering, through agriculture, industrialisation and globalisation. We illustrate the importance of considering such lifestyle effects by focusing on infectious diseases as a case study of disease amplification with climate change. The range and intensity of gastrointestinal and vector-borne diseases are likely to be altered as a result of climate change, and communities with different lifestyles will be affected differently. It follows that situation and societal-specific recommendations for public health interventions will be required, with our framework as a potential basis for considering these differences.