The journal of climate change and health最新文献

Medicinal plants have long been part of the healthcare systems of humanity. At least eighty percent of the population in all World Health Organization (WHO) regions report using herbal medicines. Thus, losing access to medicinal plants from climate change could have a devastating impact on healthcare systems globally. Although the role of the mass media in tackling climate change and health challenges was recognized in a 2017 landmark report on health and climate change, media coverage of the climate crisis and related impacts on medicinal plants appear to be lacking. To assess media coverage of the extinction of medicinal plants due to climate change in three regions — Africa, Asia and Middle East, we conducted a newspaper content analysis, and identified 19 eligible newspaper articles out of 198 articles published from 2008 to 2021. We also conducted a systematic search of studies published in peer-reviewed journals over the same period to determine the extent to which scientific papers on the climate crisis on medicinal plants published over the same period were being cited by the analysed newspaper articles. Of the 478 papers identified, 52 were published from Asian and African countries and were considered eligible. None of the 52 scientific papers were cited by any of the 19 newspaper articles, an indication that studies focusing on medicinal plants’ extinction resulting from climate change were not getting publicity in newspapers. The surprisingly few newspaper articles on the subject may indicate a lack of transdisciplinary initiatives, partnerships, and relationships between stakeholders including journalists and researchers in Africa, Asia and the Middle East working to highlight how climate change is negatively impacting medicinal plants. Therefore, we propose advocacy strategies for promoting media coverage of the climate crisis and its impacts on medicinal plants.

Introduction

Science communication research has increasingly explored what factors shape public opinion around climate change policies. The public health consequences of climate change are becoming an increasingly prominent focus of research and policy, and prior research has identified the importance of health messaging for effective risk communication efforts. While prior research on communication appeals that highlight the impact of climate change on public health has shown promise, evidence around the effectiveness of such appeals remains thin, especially around health-related financial costs related to climate hazards.

Materials

We explore how social media messages that describe the ramifications of climate-related health problems may influence support for climate change policies. We fielded an experiment embedded in an online survey of 2,859 English-speaking U.S. adults to understand how health-cost climate messaging may have a differential impact on distinct segments of the public. Treatment groups read a hypothetical social media post about how a failure to invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation may result in financial burdens from either damaged property or healthcare costs due to worsening climate hazards quantified at either a national or household scale. Following exposure to treatment stimuli, respondents were asked to state to what extent they perceived climate change to be a threat to the US, supported policy responses, and supported federal investments in mitigation and adaptation.

Results

While all messaging conditions were associated with significantly higher perceptions that climate change poses a threat, no differences were observed when comparing across the health- versus property-related economic damage messages.

Conclusion

Communication of costs on a per household basis was associated with significantly higher perceptions that climate change is a threat compared to messages that emphasized costs at a national level.

Land Body Ecologies (LBE) is a global, transdisciplinary research group seeking to understand the mental health dimensions of minority, Indigenous and other land-dependent communities’ relationship to ecologies in a changing environment. We posit that our project is a successful case of global transdisciplinary collaboration that can serve as an example for others. In this paper we present: (1) an overview of our project structure across various disciplines and geographies; (2) a description of how we manage day-to-day operations and decision-making; (3) details of how we operationalise collaboration through examples from three key areas – creative methodologies, language considerations and authorship; (4) a discussion on strengths and limitations of the project.

Climate change contributes to adverse outcomes and disruptions in cancer care with disproportionate impacts on specific populations. As the health effects of fossil fuel air pollution and planetary warming increase, transdisciplinary stakeholders across communities will be crucial to developing and implementing climate solutions as health solutions for patients affected by cancer. We provide a narrative review of four key themes at the intersection of climate change and cancer then describe potential opportunities to engage health care and community organizations, government agencies, public health entities, and clinicians dedicated to ensuring high quality cancer care for all. Through the review, we highlight that an expansion of climate-focused research funding and educational offerings for health professionals provides the foundation for ongoing action that can reduce health disparities, care disruptions, and health service demands while diminishing the carbon footprint of cancer care and improving patient-centered health outcomes. Lastly, we discuss lessons from the past that emphasize the importance of preparedness and swift action through scalable institutional, national, and international policies rooted in health, equity, and justice. We posit that through systematic and deliberate choice by those with decision making capabilities, climate mitigation and adaptation becomes cancer prevention and control.

Introduction

Women, especially those living in low-and-middle-income countries experience increased exposure to and impacts of environmental threats. Peru is especially susceptible, with high levels of pollutants associated with extractive industries, and climatic-related disasters exacerbated by climate change. International policies and movements are increasingly calling for a gendered approach to environmental health. We aimed to understand the current Peruvian research, advocacy, and policy landscape at the environment-gender-health nexus.

Methods

We held 18 in-depth semi-structured interviews with key informants from the Peruvian Government, academia, and non-governmental organizations to explore how a gender-sensitive approach and interdisciplinary environmental health collaborations are delivered. We used thematic analysis to compare gender approaches, priorities, and barriers/facilitators to delivering projects within this nexus.

Results

We remotely interviewed 6 representatives of each sector between July 2020 and March 2021. Interviewees mentioned the detrimental role of weak institutions, multilevel corruption, and the lack of interdisciplinarity and intersectorality across environmental health programs and research. They described several barriers to successful collaboration across organizations and sectors, including funding scandals related to extractive economies, high staff turnover impairing long-term program implementation, and machismo culture in organizations and communities. Women's empowerment was described as important for successful program delivery, especially in female-led associations. Some interviewees emphasized the invisibilization of vulnerable groups, such as girls, teenagers, pregnant women, victims of gender-based violence, and LGBTQI+ people.

Conclusions

These qualitative findings highlight the multiple and inter-related contextual issues faced by environmentally threatened communities in Peru, and how macrostructural barriers contribute to a paucity of sustainable, gender-oriented, environmental health projects.