1 / 21

Climate Change and Health

Climate Change and Health. Regional Coordination and Support for the EU-CA Enhanced Regional Cooperation on Environment and Water (WECOOP) Training 18-19 June, 2013 – Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Juan Palerm, PhD. “Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21 st Century”

vin
Download Presentation

Climate Change and Health

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Climate Change and Health Regional Coordination and Support for the EU-CA Enhanced Regional Cooperation on Environment and Water (WECOOP) Training 18-19 June, 2013 – Dushanbe, Tajikistan Juan Palerm, PhD

  2. “Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century” Lancet and UCL Institute for Global Health Commission (2009) The Lancet, 373:1693-733

  3. World Preservation Foundation, 2010 The Times of India, 2012 Liz Hempel, 2011

  4. Exacerbating global health inequities Pathways and climate change Global Climate Change Source: Adapted from Hanna (2011)

  5. Extreme air temperatures and air pollution • Heat waves • Direct contributor to deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease • Increase levels of ozone and other air pollutants and aeroallergens • Effects of 1ºC  in temperature on ozone and particulate levels may increase global deaths from air pollution by over 20,000 per year (Jacobson, 2008) • Cold spells

  6. Floods and droughts • ≈90% burden of diarrhoeal disease attributed to lack of safe water and sanitation - reductions in reliability of freshwater will increase this hazard. (WHO, 2008) • Glacier retreat and evaporation of surface waters • Reduced availability of fresh water • Floods: contamination of freshwater supplies and opportunities for breeding of disease carrying insects • Drought: concentration of water pollutants

  7. Changing patterns of infection • Malaria distributions strongly affected by climate • Endemic in Tajikistan • Any disease linked to insects, snails and other cold-blooded animals can be affected by climate change • E.g. schistosomiasis; Lyme disease; tick-borne encephalitis, Salmonella

  8. Climate change and malaria Source: Rogers and Randolph (2000)

  9. Climate-driven migration • Stress on health services of recipient countries • Changes in adaptive capacity • Migration prompts illness and premature death: • Stress and exhaustion • Lack of safe water and sanitation • Limited access to health services • New diseases brought into recipient countries World Bank (2009)

  10. Other effects of climate change on health • Agriculture: food security and malnutrition • Potential increase of natural disasters • Damage/destruction of infrastructure • Disruption of energy supply

  11. Climate change and health in CA • Health identified as a priority sector for adaptation in in UNFCCC National Communications for all CA countries • Extreme weather events (e.g. floods and droughts) are the most immediate health risks: they will become more intense and frequent

  12. Adaptation options

  13. Information and knowledge • Health vulnerability assessments • Strengthening data collection and analysis • Awareness raising • Develop weather forecasting and early warning systems, reaching the most exposed and vulnerable

  14. Health Vulnerability Assessments

  15. Heat waves • Urban planning/architecture, energy and transport policies • Health action plans: • Health alerts; Heat Warning Systems (HWS) • Strategies to reduce exposure • Plans to provide health care, social services, infrastructure • Real-time surveillance, evaluation and monitoring • Health service preparedness • Integration into other sectors (e.g. working environments) Menneet al (2008); Hanna (2011); World Bank (2009)

  16. Floods Adapted from Menneet al (2008)

  17. Vector-borne diseases • Early detection of outbreaks / improved surveillance • Revise/strengthen vector-control measures • Capacity building of health professionals • new diseases / potential increased incidence of known diseases • Awareness raising campaigns • Ensure adequate logistics and supplies • e.g. vaccines, pharmaceuticals • Inter-sectoral coordination

  18. Respiratory diseases • Reducing exposure to air pollutants • Fixed and mobile sources • Transport policies • Air quality management • Awareness raising and health warnings • Response plans (e.g. industry, schools) • Air quality monitoring • Tackling indoor air pollution (heavy reliance on wood and coal): clean fuels, energy efficiency

  19. Climate-proofing of infrastructure • Appropriate design / building materials • Locate outside vulnerable areas • Design/ build climate-proof water facilities • to prevent flooding and contamination of water supply • Limit settlements in flood plains • Plan for backup power capacity • Maximise natural ventilation Source: ADB (2012)

  20. Mitigation in the health sector • Mitigation opportunities in health care facilities: • Energy efficiency in buildings • On-site energy generation and storage • Appropriate use of natural ventilation and natural daylight • On-site rainwater capture and treatment • Waste/sewage treatment • Materials procurement and waste reduction/management strategies • Reduction, recapture/reuse of inhaled anaesthetics Adapted from: WHO (n/d a)

More Related