{"title":"Heatwaves, biodiversity and health in times of climate change.","authors":"Marcelo de Paula Corrêa","doi":"10.1016/j.jped.2024.10.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This article discusses heatwaves (HWs), their definitions, and increasing frequencies associated with climate change, as well as their effects on human health, especially on children and vulnerable groups. It emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary studies to better understand the effects of HWs and preventive actions to mitigate the effects caused by this phenomenon.</p><p><strong>Data source: </strong>The data were obtained from recent studies, conducted in Brazil and abroad, on the impacts of HWs. The figures were attained with data provided by the Climate Change Knowledge Portal.</p><p><strong>Data summary: </strong>HWs are periods of extreme heat, modulated by climate phenomena such as El Niño and the Pacific Decadal Oscillations. The frequency and intensity of HWs have increased since the 1950s, driven by climate change. HWs affect public health by increasing the risk of mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children are more vulnerable to problems such as fever caused by heatstroke, respiratory and kidney infections, as well as risks such as sudden infant death syndrome. Almost half of the HW episodes observed in South America in this century occurred in Brazil, mainly in socioeconomically vulnerable regions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The increase in the number of HWs is a direct consequence of climate change and has severe impacts on public health and biodiversity. Vulnerable groups suffer more from these phenomena, and social inequalities aggravate the problems. It is essential to promote awareness, implement effective public policies and encourage interdisciplinary research to mitigate the effects of HWs on society.</p>","PeriodicalId":14867,"journal":{"name":"Jornal de pediatria","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Jornal de pediatria","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2024.10.002","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: This article discusses heatwaves (HWs), their definitions, and increasing frequencies associated with climate change, as well as their effects on human health, especially on children and vulnerable groups. It emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary studies to better understand the effects of HWs and preventive actions to mitigate the effects caused by this phenomenon.
Data source: The data were obtained from recent studies, conducted in Brazil and abroad, on the impacts of HWs. The figures were attained with data provided by the Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Data summary: HWs are periods of extreme heat, modulated by climate phenomena such as El Niño and the Pacific Decadal Oscillations. The frequency and intensity of HWs have increased since the 1950s, driven by climate change. HWs affect public health by increasing the risk of mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children are more vulnerable to problems such as fever caused by heatstroke, respiratory and kidney infections, as well as risks such as sudden infant death syndrome. Almost half of the HW episodes observed in South America in this century occurred in Brazil, mainly in socioeconomically vulnerable regions.
Conclusions: The increase in the number of HWs is a direct consequence of climate change and has severe impacts on public health and biodiversity. Vulnerable groups suffer more from these phenomena, and social inequalities aggravate the problems. It is essential to promote awareness, implement effective public policies and encourage interdisciplinary research to mitigate the effects of HWs on society.
期刊介绍:
Jornal de Pediatria is a bimonthly publication of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria, SBP). It has been published without interruption since 1934. Jornal de Pediatria publishes original articles and review articles covering various areas in the field of pediatrics. By publishing relevant scientific contributions, Jornal de Pediatria aims at improving the standards of pediatrics and of the healthcare provided for children and adolescents in general, as well to foster debate about health.