Transcript ppt - Mitigation and Adaptation Research Institute (MARI)

Climate Change:
Global health impacts and local
consequences
Muge Akpinar-Elci, MD, MPH
Director and Associate Professor
Center for Global Health
Old Dominion University, VA
Workshop on Mitigation and Adaptation Research in Virginia,
August 2015
Why should we care?
http://www.mindmapart.com/climate-impacts-mind-map-jane-genovese/
Perhaps…
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117799/climate-change-will-force-us-abandon-cities-if-we-dont-prepare-now
Global Injustice
• Climate change effects people around the
world
– things are a bit hotter, or a bit colder and a bit
more uncertain,
– too little or too much water, not enough food,
– not safety and security
• It is a survival…
Climate Change and Health
• Climate change directly impacts health
– Climate change impacts the weather, air, food supply,
water, and economic longevity of humans
– Temperature increases regionally due to climate
change has been shown to impact the biological and
physical systems of humans worldwide
– Respiratory Health has shown to be a concern!
― Increases amount of pollen and allergen
― Increases mold
― Increases the concentrations of outdoor ozone
and particulate matter
D’Amato, Cecchi, D’Amato, & Annesi-Maesano, 2014
Effects of Sea Level Rise on Health
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Injury
Infrastructure damage
Food and water insecurity and contamination
Release of chemicals, sewage, and pollutants
Allergic and respiratory diseases
Vector born diseases
Impacts on chronic diseases and mental health
Population displacement
Population displacement
Flooding and Health
• Indirect Health effects of flooding:
– Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure
– Damage to crops and or disruption of food
supplies
– Damage/destruction of property
– Disruption of livelihood and income
– Population displacement
– Damage to health care infrastructure
Few & Matthies, 2013
Flooding and Health
• Direct health effects of flooding:
– Drowning
– Injuries
– Vector and rodent borne diseases
– Chemical contamination
– Skin/eye infections
– Mental health
– Diarrhoel diseases
– Respiratory Diseases
Few & Matthies, 2013
Flooding and Respiratory Health
• Lower respiratory symptoms were reported more
frequently in homes with dampness or mold in
children and adults
• Allergen levels higher in flooded homes
• Flooding leads to loss of electrical power which can
be substituted by petroleum-fuelled equipment
― Increases risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
― Increases risk of exposure to harmful fumes or
particulate matter
Few & Matthies, 2013, Miller, 2013; Fewtrell et al, 2006
Flooding in U.S.
• “Health effect of exposure to water-damaged New
Orleans homes six months after Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita”
• Respiratory symptoms were positively associated
with exposure to water-damaged homes and
respirator use had a protective effect.
Cummings, 2008
• “Schools serving populations already at elevated risk
of respiratory illness were disproportionately
affected by the flooding of Hurricane Floyd. “
Guirdy et al, 2005
Flooding in Guyana
Flood date
1988
1996
2005
2006
2008
Affected (#people)
No data
38,000
274,000
35,000
100,000
EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster
Database, http://www.emdat.be/
http://www.wondermondo.com/Best/SA/GuyanaFallsList.htm
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/08/23/guyana-georgetown-is-
The case of COVE & JOHN, GUYANA
• The town was flooded in December 2008
• To evaluate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms
among occupants of water-damaged houses after
the 2008 floods in Guyana
• Out of 185 households, a total of 130 households
completed the questionnaire (70%).
The Respiratory health problems and Flooding
• 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
November 2014, Guyana
Sick Population
Asthma and Saharan Dust
• 200 million tones of dust
– Sahara to the Caribbean
– Arrives in the Caribbean within one week
• PM 2.5
• Reasons to increase
– Climate change (?!)
• A wetter or a drier North Africa
– Land use in western Africa
Saharan Dust and the Emergency Room Visits Due to
Asthma in Grenada
4.5
Mean Monthly
Asthma Visits & Dust
4
Asthma Visits
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
R2 = 0.036
p< 0.001
0.5
0
0
Akpinar-Elci et al, 2015
10
20
30
40
Dust Concentration ug/m3
50
60
Health care workers’ perspective on
Climate Change in the Caribbean
• We conducted focus groups with Caribbean healthcare
providers including physicians, veterinarians, nurses, health
administrators and technicians who discussed the public
health and healthcare impacts of the climate change.
• Participants were recruited from providers lacking any
obvious environmental health interest or expertise in Trinidad
and Grenada.
• Two countries with markedly
– different geographies, cultures, population sizes, industrialization
level, economies, and carbon emissions (in 2009 there were 37.4
metric tons per capita for Trinidad and 2.4 metric tons per capita for
Grenada, compared with 17.3 in the USA)
Macpherson and Akpinar-Elci, 2015
Their perspective
•
When asked about the local impacts of climate change,
participants in both nations agreed that it has already
contributed to
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the increase of heat stress,
respiratory diseases,
vector borne disease,
mental health problems within their respective communities
availability of drinking water,
climate variability related to floods and droughts,
disaster preparedness,
threats to food security.
Macpherson and Akpinar-Elci, 2015
Women and Single Mother
Nutmeg and Hurricane Ivan
http://blahblohblog.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/hurricane-ivan-grenada-5-years-ago/
September 2004, Grenada
http://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwsergiocomphotos/542390375/
Nutmeg Industry in Grenada
Nutmeg Workers
• 93 workers
• 77% female (single mother)
• Mean age 47.2±11.4 years
Akpinar-Elci et al, ATS 2011
Respiratory Symptoms
Akpinar-Elci et al, ATS 2011
Adaptation in the developing world
Nutmeg industry in Grenada
• Prevent land degradation in Grenada
• Implement renewable energy in nutmeg
industry
• Build a capacity for nutmeg workers
• Reduce the poverty among the nutmeg
industry workers, farmers, and the community
Prevention of Land Degradation
• Activity:
– Planting nutmeg trees in land degradation areas
• Outcomes:
– Promote and support sustainable land management
– Increase nutmeg production
– Positive impacts the nutmeg industry, environment, and
Grenada economy
Implementing Renewable Energy in
Nutmeg industry
• Activity
– Introduction of Solar dryer into nutmeg plant
• Outcomes
– Create a more efficient approach to processing the nutmeg
products (shorter time, higher quality)
– Improve economic and environmental benefits,
– Prevent adverse health effects
Solar Dryer
• End-product quality increased
• Drying time reduced
from 8 wk to 4 wk
• No exposures
– No dust
– No mold
– No pesticide
– No ergonomic
problems
UNDP Success Story
Nutmeg Production 500% increase
Virginia and Asthma
Hampton Roads, Sea Level Rise, Flooding
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_climatech
ange.html
http://www.portsmouthva.gov/dna/Flood_Insurance_Rate_Maps.aspx
Hampton Roads and Asthma
Behr, Diaz, Akpinar-Elci, 2015
Act Now…
Community-based Adaptation
CARE, 2011, http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/adaptation/CARE_Understanding_Vulnerability.pdf
Thank you
http://archive.itvs.org/risingwaters/
Email: [email protected]