Transcript presentation

The Impact of Climate Change and
Sea Level Rise on Public Health
Muge Akpinar-Elci, MD, MPH
Director and Associate Professor
Center for Global Health
Old Dominion University, VA
Global Injustice
Overall human vulnerability index for Climate Change
UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Report, 2008, http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/reports/Human_Implications_TechnologyBrief.pdf
Possible Effects of Sea Level Rise
on Human Health
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Injury
Infrastructure damage
Food and water insecurity
Release of chemicals, sewage, and pollutants
Food and water contamination
Vector born diseases
Impacts on chronic diseases and mental
health
• Population displacement
Vulnerability
• “Vulnerability is the degree to which a system is susceptible
to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate
change, including climate variability and extremes.”
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), 2007
• Vulnerable groups
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Sick
Old and young
Physically or mentally challenged
Disadvantaged groups
• minorities, less educated, non-English speakers
– Women
• the single mother household
Cases from the Caribbean; Guyana and Flood
Young Population
Flood date Affected (#people)
1988
1996
2005
2006
2008
No data
38,000
274,000
35,000
100,000
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/08/23/guyana-georgetown-is-flooded/
EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster
Database, http://www.emdat.be/
The health problems and Flooding:
The case of COVE & JOHN, GUYANA
• To evaluate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among
occupants of water-damaged houses after the 2008 floods in
Guyana
• Flooded houses 76.1%
– Mould inside the home 37.3% (questionnaire)
– Dampness and mould 32.8% (direct observation)
• A statistically significant association was found between
flooded houses and “Fever and Chills” (p<0.05)
• A statistically significant association was also found between
the presence of mould and runny nose, bronchitis (p<0.05)
S. Rose, M. Akpinar-Elci. ISCOM, 2010
Adaptation
• A ongoing process
– learning
– analyzing
– planning
– adjusting
• Response to the problem and change risks
Community-Based Adaptation
CARE, 2011, http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/adaptation/CARE_Understanding_Vulnerability.pdf
Role of Public Health in Sea Level Rise
Adaptation Planning
Forecasting
Climate Impacts
and Assessing
Vulnerabilities
Evaluating
Impact and
Improving
Quality
Developing and
Implementing a
Climate and
Health
Adaptation Plan
Projecting the
Disease Burden
Assessing
Public Health
Interventions
CDC: Building
Resilience
Against
Climate Effects
(BRACE) –
a framework
for public
health
agencies
Are we ready?
• Think the unthinkable
• Synergies between development and
adaptation
– improved housing, living conditions, and
infrastructure will reduce poverty and,
– at the same time, adapt to climate change
THANK YOU
“When we were children, we used to
think that when we were grown-up we
would no longer be vulnerable. But to
grow up is to accept vulnerability…”
Madeleine L’Engle