Transcript Health Implications of Climate Change 3.54 MB | Posted 13

The Health Implications
of Climate Change
Nancy S. Partika, RN, MPH, President
Hawai’i Public Health Association
Presented to 58th Pacific Island Health
Officers Association USAPI Executive
Meeting, August 6,2015
PPT research conducted by Chad K. L. Au, MPH-EPI candidate, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Definition of Health:
A State of Complete Physical, Social
and Mental Well-being, and not
merely the absence of disease or
infirmity.
Source: World Health Organization
Constitution, 1948
Public Health is…
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Population-based
Concerned with Wellness and Disease
Noticed Most when absent
Concerned with Prevention
Multi-disciplinary
Concerned with Quality and Assurance of
health services
• Committed to Social Justice
The Connection Between Climate
Change and Health
• Until mid-century (2050), projected climate change will
impact human health, mainly by exacerbating health
problems that already exist (very high confidence).
• Throughout the 21st century, climate change is
expected to lead to increases in ill-health in many
regions and especially in developing countries with low
incomes, as compared to a baseline without climate
change (high confidence).
IPCC Predictions-Climate Change 2014
• Examples include: greater likelihood of injury, disease, & death
due to more intense heat waves and fires (very high confidence);
increased likelihood of under-nutrition resulting from diminished
food production in poor regions (high confidence); risks from lost
work capacity & reduced labor productivity in vulnerable
populations; & increased risks from food- & water-borne
diseases (very high confidence) & vector-borne diseases (medium
confidence)
• Globally over the 21st century, the magnitude and severity of
negative impacts are projected to increasingly outweigh positive
impacts (high confidence)
• Island nations are already experiencing impacts due to climate
change
Climate Change and
Health Implications-CDC
Asthma, Respiratory Allergies
and Airway Diseases
Asthma in U.S.
• 1 in 12 adults
• 1 in 11 children
• 147,628 (HHS, 2010)
• USAPI-???
• Climate change will increase the amounts of pollen, dust and
allergens in the air
• VOG (volcanic pollution) affects those with asthma and chronic
lung problems
USA. National Governors Association. Health Investments That Pay Off: Strategies for Addressing Asthma in
Children. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Cancer and Climate Change
• Higher ambient temperatures may increase the spread
and transfer of carcinogens
• Expected to increase heavy precipitation that may
increase the chances of toxic contamination leaking into
oceans and water sources
• 2007-11 USAPI Age-Adjusted Cancer Rate for Adults over
age 20 years= 206.6/100,000
• Further Cancer & Climate Change research is needed
A Human Health Perspective On Climate Change: A Report Outlining the Research Needs on the Human Health Effects of Climate Change
CVD & Stroke-Climate Change
• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in
the United States, with strokes following as 3rd highest
• In Hawai’i, roughly 1 in 4 of those affected are Native
Hawaiian
• In the USAPI, ?? are affected by Cardiovascular Disease
& Stroke
• Evidence points to both extreme heat and extreme cold
directly affects incidence of CVD & Stroke
Climate Change Key Terms
• Adaptation: The adjustment of our built environment,
infrastructure, and social systems in response to actual or
expected climatic events or their effects. Adaptation includes
responses to reduce harm or capture benefits (Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2007).
• Mitigation: Any sustained action taken to reduce or
eliminate long-term risk to life and property from hazard
events. This word has two distinct meanings: In the climate
change and sustainability context, it means reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations. In the disaster
preparedness and resilience context, it means any type of risk
reduction
Climate
Change:
Mitigation
and
Adaptation
Connections
to
Health
McMichael, Anthony J., Rosalie E. Woodruff, and Simon Hales. "Climate change and human health: present and future risks."
The Lancet 367.9513 (2006): 859-869.
Health
Hazards
of
Climate
Change
McMichael, Anthony J., Rosalie E. Woodruff, and Simon Hales. "Climate change and human health:
present and future risks." The Lancet 367.9513 (2006): 859-869.
Environmental Refugees
• Environmental degradation around the world is creating a new category
of people, known as "environmental refugees”
• Populations are being displaced by gradual environmental shifts, many
of which linked to climate change (desertification, diminishing water
supplies, erosion, rising sea levels)
• Focus has been more on the impact that mass displacement has on the
environment rather than on the role environment itself plays in creating
refugees
• By 2010 the number of environmental refugees grew to 50 million
(UNU-EHS prediction)-There could be as many as 150 million by 2050
• How many of these will be from the USAPI?
Climate Change Impacts on Islands
• Water availability is declining, with significant implications for island
communities, economies & resources
• Island communities, infrastructures & ecosystems vulnerable to coastal
inundations, due to sea level rise & coastal storms
• Sea level in the western Pacific Ocean has been increasing at a rate 2–3
times the global average, resulting in almost 0.3 meters (1 foot) of net
rise since 1990 (4 times higher than global average in Caribbean)
• Effects on coastal & marine ecosystems will have major impacts on
tourism & fisheries
Health Impacts of Climate Change Include:
Climate change directly exacerbates existing
public health problems, including:
• The incidence of ciguatera poisoning, diarrheal disease,
malnutrition, and vector-borne diseases (dengue fever,
due to rise as a result of increased temperatures and changes
in rainfall)
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The indirect public health effects of climate
change could be far-reaching. including:
increases in malnutrition due to losses of subsistence
agriculture and fisheries
deterioration in standards of living due to impacts on
primary sectors
loss of land and infrastructure, leading to increased
crowding and land shortages
immense economic, social, and cultural impacts
associated with population relocation, as a result of
tidal inundation or water shortages.
Planning the Public Health
Response to Climate Change
and its Impacts on Health
Source: 1 meter contour at High Tide in Honolulu--The Blue Line Project-UH-SOEST-Dr. C. Fletcher
How does climate change affect the
health of populations?
• “Climate change, together with other natural and human-made health
stressors, influences human health and disease in numerous ways. Some
existing health threats will intensify and new health threats will emerge.
Not everyone is equally at risk.
• In the U.S., public health can be affected by disruptions of physical,
biological, and ecological systems, including disturbances originating
here and elsewhere.
• The health effects of these disruptions include increased respiratory
and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to
extreme weather events, changes in the prevalence and geographical
distribution of food- and water-borne illnesses and other infectious
diseases, and threats to mental health.”
(Source: Climate Effects on Health: http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm )
What do you think the Public Health
response should be in the current
climate change environment?
• Is it, “Wait and see—we will respond as needed.”
• Or, “We need to be developing & showing
leadership in our response now, rather than later.”
• Or, “It is too late anyway—whatever we do will not
make a difference.”
Ten Essential Services of Public Health
Relating to Climate Change
Climate Change and Health:
Hawaii’s Public Policy Discussion 2015
• “House/Senate Concurrent resolution HCR 108, SD1:
requesting the convening of a climate change and health
working group to assess the scope and risks of climate change
on the health of Hawaii’s residents and to develop a strategic
plan to address climate change risks to health statewide”
• Passed on May 1, 2015-Directs the Hawaii State Dept. of
Health to convene a Climate Change & Health working group
and to report its findings and recs to 2016 State Legislature.
• Dialogue needs to broaden and diversify—become
more inclusive & community-wide
Hawaii’s Climate Change & Health
Working Group-2015-16
• Meeting 1: Aug 20, 2015: Focus: Introductions of WG; overview
of HCR108, SD1 and HCCWG purpose; Introduction to climate
change and health; Developing, improving, integrating, and
maintaining state and regional disease surveillance systems and
monitoring capacity to respond to health-related effects of
climate change
• Meeting 2: Sept. 17, 2015: Focus: Water security, food safety,
and vector-borne infectious diseases
• Meeting 3: Oct. 15, 2015: Focus: Respiratory and pulmonary
effects, including responses to air allergens; the health effects of
air pollution, including heightened sensitivity to air pollution
Hawaii’s Climate Change & Health
Working Group-2015-16
• Meeting 4: Nov. 19, 2015: Focus: Cardiovascular effects,
including impacts of temperature extremes; Mental and
behavioral health impacts of climate change in the health of
displaced persons and at-risk populations and communities;
• Meeting 5: Dec. 17, 2015: Focus: Initial report and
recommendations to the 2016 Legislature finalized, reviewed by
DOH and sent
• Jan-June 2016: WG meeting agendas to focus on working
on/refining strategies, tools, needs and resources to address
priority challenges to Hawaii’s health from climate change
The CDC has
a framework
entitled,
Building
Resilience
Against
Climate
Effects
(BRACE)
Focuses on
“adaptation”
and
“interventions”
Marinucci, Gino D., et al. "Building resilience against climate effects—A novel framework to facilitate climate
readiness in public health agencies." International journal of environmental research and public health 11.6 (2014):
6433-6458.
Prioritization of Climate and Health Impacts
and Intervention Options
Health and climate effects of
carbon pollutionUnchecked carbon pollution leads to long-lasting
changes in our climate, such as:
• Rising global temperatures
• Rising sea level
• Changes in weather and precipitation patterns
• Changes in ecosystems, habitats and species diversity
• Our most vulnerable citizens, including children,
older adults, people with heart or lung disease and
people living in poverty may be most at risk from the
health impacts of climate change.
The U.S. Clean Power Plan –
August 3, 2015
• These changes threaten America's health and welfare for
current and future generations. Public health risks include:
• More heat waves and drought
• Worsening smog (also called ground-level ozone pollution)
• Increasing the intensity of extreme events, like hurricanes,
extreme precipitation and flooding
• Increasing the range of ticks and mosquitoes, which can
spread disease such as Dengue Fever, Lyme disease and
West Nile virus
source: http://www2.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan
CDC funding helps states address
infectious disease threats
• Press Release--For Immediate Release -Monday, August 3, 2015
• Contact: CDC Media Relations (404) 639-3286
• Awards build epidemiology and laboratory capacity for public protection
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced awards of nearly
$110 million to help states and communities strengthen their capacity to track and
respond to infectious diseases. The awards represent an increase of about $13 million
over fiscal year 2014 funding, with increases going to vaccine-preventable-disease
surveillance, foodborne-disease prevention and advanced molecular detection, among
other projects.
The funding is allocated through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious
Diseases Cooperative Agreement (ELC), with a goal of helping states fight infectious
disease outbreaks more quickly and develop better interventions to protect the public’s
health. Of the nearly $110 million, $51 million is provided through the Affordable Care
Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund. That funding will support:
Infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response
Public health laboratories
Health information systems
Efforts to combat zoonotic, vector-borne and foodborne diseases; vaccine-preventable infections; influenza; and
healthcare-associated infections.
The Public Health Response
to Climate Change
Needs to Include:
• A well-prepared line of defense: health providers and systems
need to prepare for adverse impacts of climate change & know
which populations are most at risk for negative health impacts;
• A reliable tracking system to monitor effects of climate change &
identify trends;
• Investigation of disease outbreaks potentially associated with
climate change;
• Health care providers well-trained on health aspects of climate
change;
• Effective education & communication strategies to inform the
public & policy-makers about the health impacts of climate change
Mahalo!
Questions or Comments?
Email: [email protected]