Transcript Emerging Issues in Environmental Health

Duston Morris, PhD, MS, CHES, CTRS
University of Central Arkansas
• “Over the past 50 years, mankind has changed the natural
environment of the planet faster and more extensively than at
any other time in human history, leading to a substantial and
largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth,
according to the first comprehensive evaluation of the world's
major ecosystems.” – Millennium Ecosystem Report (2005)
• Think of it this way…its like a bank account where many people
get to make withdrawals but are not required to makes deposits.
Eventually it drains the account. Then what???
• Some very scary findings…
• About 30 percent of the Earth's land area is devoted to some kind of
agriculture.
• About a quarter of the world's coral reefs have been badly damaged or
destroyed in the past several decades.
• The amount of water impounded behind dams has quadrupled since 1960.
Six times more water is held in reservoirs than flows in natural rivers.
• More than half of all synthetic nitrogen fertilizer ever used on the planet has
been used since 1985.
• Since 1750, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased about
32 percent primarily because of the burning of fossil fuels and land use
changes. About 60 percent of that increase has taken place since 1959.
• Between 10 percent and 30 percent of all mammal, bird and amphibian
species are threatened with extinction.
• http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
• The Impact…
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Loss of half of the planet’s forests
The depletion of most of the planet’s major fisheries
The alteration of the planet’s atmosphere and climate
Clearing of 80% of the rainforest
Loss of tens of thousands of plant and wildlife species
An approximate increase of 400% of greenhouse gas emissions
Commercialization of as much as half of the earth’s surface land
• The future…possible water stress, water scarcity, food shortage and fossil
fuel shortage. The reason…too many people and too much consumption.
• We continue to make unhealthy choices the easier choices.
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Cigarettes
Fast-food diets
High sugar drinks
Packaged, processed foods
Technologies
Fossil fuel cars
Suburban living
Economic debt
• Where does it end??
• Worldwide, at least 30 new and re-emerging infectious
diseases have been recognized since 1975 (Weiss and
McMichael, 2004).
• HIV/AIDS has become a serious pandemic.
• Several ‘old’ infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria,
cholera and dengue fever, have proven unexpectedly
problematic.
• Diarrheal disease, acute respiratory infections and other
infections continue to kill more than seven million infants and
children annually (Bryce et al., 2005).
• The upward trajectory in life expectancy forecast in the 1980s
has recently been reversed in several regions.
• Many proximal causes have been documented…
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Alcoholism
Suicide
Violence
Accidents
Cardiovascular disease
Deteriorating infrastructure
Gender inequality
Sexual exploitation
Indebtedness
Ill-judged economic development
• Sustainable population health depends on the viability of the
planet’s life-support systems (McMichael et al., 2003a).
• We extract ‘goods and services’ from the world’s natural
environment about 25% faster than they can be replenished
(Wackernagel et al., 2002).
• Over 150,000 annual deaths result from recent change in the
world’s climate relative to the baseline average climate of
1961–1990 (McMichael et al., 2004a).
• Recent changes in infectious disease such as tick-borne
encephalitis (Lindgren and Gustafson, 2001), cholera outbreaks
(Rodo´ et al., 2002) and, possibly, malaria (Patz et al., 2002)
• United Nations established eight MDGs (Millennium
Development Goals) with targets achievable by 2015. Four of
these MGDs are explicitly related to health outcomes:
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Extreme Poverty and hunger
Reducing child mortality
Improving maternal health
Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious disease
• The problem…
• Many of the MGDs are already in jeopardy
• Its important to remember that environmental sustainability is inter-linked
• The health benefits of the complex social, cultural, trade and
economic phenomena that comprise ‘globalization’ are
vigorously debated.
• In reality, wealthy populations have long tilted the economic
and political playing field in ways that ensure a
disproportionate flow of trade benefits towards privileged
populations (Mehmet, 1995).
• De-regulated labor
• Increased labor mobility and steep economic gradients
• Indices of inequality, including in health, income and environmental risk,
have risen in recent decades (Butler, 2000; Parry et al., 2004).
• In sum, global and regional inequality, narrow and outdated
economic theories and an ever nearing set of global
environmental limits endanger population health.
• Economic, market-based system for setting goals related to
environmental health and human well-being IS NOT working.
• A transformation of policy, social institutions, and social norms
will be needed (Raskin et al., 2002).
• New health risk derive from demographic shifts, environmental
change, and continuation of the current economic system that
emphasizes material wealth over human health.
• There is need for proactive engagement with local, national,
and international agencies and programs that bear on the
socio-economic fundamentals that create health disparities.
• We should work to created better connections and strengthen
the relationship between the health sector and civil society,
including those struggling to promote development, human
rights, human security and environmental protection.
• Ultimately…environmental sustainability is about optimizing the
human experience, especially well-being, health and survival.
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Bryce, J., Boschi-Pinto, C., Shibuya, K., Black, R.E., & WHO child health epidemiology reference group (2005). WHO
estimates of the causes of death in children. Lancet, 356, 1147-1152.
Butler, C.D. (2000). Inequality, global change, and the sustainability of civilization. Global change and human health.
Global Change Human Health, 1, 156-172.
Lindgren, E. & Gustafson, R. (2001). Tick-borne encephalitis in Sweden and climate change. Lancet, 358, 16-18.
McMichael, A.J., & Butler, C.D. (2007). Emerging health issues: the widening challenge for population health
promotion. Health Promotion International, 21, 15-24. doi:10.1093/heapro/dal047
McMichael, A.J., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Kovats, S., Edwards, S., Wilkinson, P., Wilson, T. et al. (2004). Global climate
change. In Ezzati, M., Lopez., A., Rodgers, A., & Murray C. (eds). Comparative quantification of health risks: Global and
regional burden of disease due to selected major risk factors. World Health Organization, Geneva. 1543-1649
Mehmet, O. (1995). Westerning the third world: The eurocentricity of economic development theories. Routledge,
London, New York.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Global Assessment Reports. http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/Global.html
Parry, M.L., Rosenzweig, C., Iglesias, A., Livermore, M., & Fischer, G. (2004). Effects of climate change on global food
production under SRES emissions and socio-economic scenarios. Global Environmental Change, 14, 53-67.
Patz, J.A., Hulme, M., Rosenzweig, C., Mitchel, T.D., Goldberg, R.A., Githeko, A.K., et al. (2002). Regional warming and
malaria resuregence. Nature, 420, 627-628.
Raskin, P., Gallopin, G., Gutman, P., Hammond, A., Kates, R., & Swart, R. (2002). Great transition: The promise and lure
of the times ahead. Stockholm Environment Institute, Boston.
Rodo’, X., Pascual, M., Fuchs, G., & Faruque, A.S.G. (2002). ENSO and cholera: A non-stationary link related to climate
change? Proceedings at the National Academy Science USA, 99, 12901-12906.