The journal of climate change and health最新文献

Introduction

Due to climate change, the frequency of heatwaves and extreme heat events (EHE) has increased over the last five decades and is expected to continue increasing.

Methods

In this scoping review, we searched the literature for how EHEs and heatwaves impact pediatric health and how children can adapt to these threats. We used the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews framework and searched several databases for studies pertaining to pediatric health, heatwaves, and EHEs.

Results

The search generated 1719 studies that were screened by the authors. Ultimately, 113 studies were included in this review. We found that extreme heat exposure leads to a variety of adverse health outcomes in pediatric patients; some of the most notable are increased risks of adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight. Extreme heat exposure was also associated with increased rates among children of emergency department visits, asthma exacerbations, heat illness, and impaired school performance.

Conclusion

Children will continue to face the repercussions of extreme heat as global temperatures continue to rise. It is imperative that future research includes adaptation measures to help keep children healthy and safe during periods of extreme heat.

Climate resilient development (CRD) is a future-focused solutions framework encapsulating climate adaptation and mitigation activities. It aims to prevent and prepare for the worst impacts of climate change whilst supporting sustainable development. When considering sustainability in healthcare systems, CRD goes beyond the current narrow focus on adaptation and mitigation to a more productive and integrated focus on how healthcare systems must equitably develop and transform to preserve the interconnected health of human and natural systems.

The field of governance has received insufficient attention as a key determinant of CRD in healthcare systems, despite being a crucial enabling condition. It is through governance that climate resilient development policies are created, supported, implemented, and monitored. In this perspective we share a review that found no papers concerning how governance can enable CRD of healthcare systems followed by a broadened search which revealed a growing focus on elements of CRD (climate adaptation and mitigation) and barriers to climate adaptation and mitigation in healthcare systems.

To respond to this gap, this perspective suggests there is value in jointly considering healthcare systems, climate resilient development and governance. We argue that transdisciplinary research combining these topics could provide practical and novel guidance for stakeholders involved in the pursuit of CRD of healthcare systems and could strengthen policy responses and actions.

Background

Climate change is identified as the foremost health threat in the present era, resulting in a broad range of negative health impacts on individuals, families, and communities. Marginalized populations in developing countries are particularly affected. This literature review explored the health impacts of climate change-related natural disasters on persons with pre-existing physical and mental disabilities in developing countries.

Methods

The Joanna Briggs Institute [JBI] evidence synthesis guideline was applied and results were reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses [PRISMA] guidelines. PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Embase databases were searched using terms related to ‘persons with disabilities’ (PWD), ‘climate change’, and “developing countries” and types of natural disasters considered to result from climate change. Selected articles were reviewed and thematic analysis was performed.

Findings

Fourteen articles were included of which five generalized across multiple countries and nine profiled specific developing countries including Bangladesh, China, Haiti, India, Nepal, Philippines, South Africa, Tuvalu, and Uganda. Five key themes were identified: [i] impact on PWD physical health, [ii] impact on PWD mental health, [iii] resilience and coping strategies of PWD in disasters, [iv] PWD involvement in inclusive disaster planning, and [v] climate-change related natural disasters on PWD in developing countries as a human rights issue.

Interpretation

This review underscores the lack of literature related to negative health impacts of climate change-related natural disasters on persons with pre-existing physical and mental disabilities in developing countries. Additional research is required to better understand these impacts as well as contributing social and economic factors and facilitative coping and resilience strategies in climate-related natural disasters. Addressing these gaps can inform development of effective, disability-inclusive disaster management practices which contribute to more equitable climate-change related health and rights-based outcomes for PWD in developing countries.

Introduction

Climate change's severe impact on human health is becoming increasingly evident, particularly for vulnerable populations with serious illnesses. Climate-related extreme weather events are expected to increase demand for hospice and palliative care due to rising respiratory illnesses, heat-related issues, waterborne diseases, and aggravated chronic conditions. Our scoping review aimed to investigate the existing literature on climate change's impact on hospice and palliative medicine (HPM).

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive literature search across various databases (e.g., Medline, EMbase, Web of Science, and Cochrane) using predefined climate change and HPM terms, resulting in 382 records. Following predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 44 articles were selected for full-text review, and 20 were included for final analysis. In light of the limited literature on climate change's impact on HPM, we also sought narratives from HPM practitioners from across the world on their experiences in a changing climate.

Results

Six major themes emerged: 1) The impact of climate change on HPM in low-income countries; 2) Descriptive pieces on climate change, climate disasters, and HPM; 3) Morbidity and mortality after climate disasters in the seriously ill population; 4) Discussion of euthanasia during climate disasters; 5) Recommendations and frameworks for disaster response in the field of HPM; 6) Carbon footprint of hospices. Additionally, narratives from HPM practitioners highlighted the disruptive effects of climate disasters on seriously ill patients and their caregivers as disasters caused care interruptions, reduced access to crucial health infrastructure, exacerbations of illness, accelerated disease progression, and increased morbidity and mortality.

Conclusion

Existing research on climate change's impact on HPM is primarily anecdotal and descriptive, with a focus on climate-related disasters. Narratives from HPM practitioners worldwide underscore the disproportionate impact of climate disasters on seriously ill patients. Further research is necessary to comprehensively understand climate's intricate effects on HPM and to assess adaptable, mitigative, and resilient solutions against its adverse impacts.

Climate change may widen pre-existing health disparities in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) populations. We argue that LGBTQ+ communities will have more exposure to climate change related disasters, be more susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change and will have fewer resources to recover from climate disasters. Scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and climatologists need to carefully consider the potential for disparate effects of climate change disasters on the health of LGBTQ+ people. Legislative action protecting LGBTQ+ populations from discrimination, more LGBTQ+ inclusive data collection efforts, and LGBTQ+ sensitivity trainings for disaster relief providers are needed now to ameliorate climate change-related LGBTQ+ health disparities.

Objective

To investigate how health is incorporated into the NDCs of Caribbean SIDS and their financing challenges.

Methods

The study analysed the NDCs of sixteen Caribbean SIDS using content analysis to investigate their level of engagement with health.

Results

Caribbean SIDS have a high level of reference with health in their NDCs relative to other developing countries which is expected to increase as they update them. All sixteen countries included health in their NDCs, mostly with regard to adaptation to be achieved by 2025/2030. Five countries provided targets in health aimed at increasing climate resilience. This may be explained by the region's poor health profile, high exposure to climate change and disasters, inadequate health infrastructure and resources and dependence on external finance. There was hardly any information on how countries intend to finance their health goals.

Conclusion

Inclusion of health in Caribbean SIDS NDCs could increase obligation to climate action at domestic and regional levels and attract international climate finance. The Caribbean should seek out funds that make finance available to tackle health-related risks from climate change. It is imperative that Caribbean SIDS compute and state their climate finance needs in health if they are to attract international finance and raise donor and investor confidence. Caribbean SIDS have the opportunity to advocate for and be an example for the integration of health into climate change policy and politics to encourage global cooperation, boost countries’ climate change aspirations and ramp up international climate finance.

The global urgency to address the adverse effects of climate change on health, particularly within marginalized communities, necessitates concerted action from healthcare systems and professionals. Recognizing the critical role of health professionals in climate mitigation and adaptation, the Climate & Health 2023 Conference convened to address gaps in preparedness, build community, and foster international collaboration. The conference aimed to educate healthcare students and professionals, facilitate research dissemination, raise awareness of health disparities exacerbated by climate change, and promote innovative climate-responsive healthcare practices. Several key themes emerged from the conference sessions, spanning climate and health education, sustainability in healthcare delivery, community resilience, effective communication strategies, ethical considerations, and addressing healthcare disparities. Participants highlighted the urgent need to continue to integrate climate education into healthcare curricula and promote climate-smart healthcare practices, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability in clinical care. The importance of effective communication by healthcare professionals to engage the public and policymakers in climate action as well as storytelling by doctors in society as trusted voices were further emphasized as powerful tools to convey the health relevance of climate change. Sessions emphasized the imperative of addressing health disparities exacerbated by climate change, particularly in vulnerable communities. Moving forward, healthcare professionals must continue to advocate for climate action, integrate climate considerations into clinical practice, and prioritize health equity to build a resilient and climate-ready healthcare sector for the 21st century.

Anthropogenic climate change, with co-factors, threatens civilization, and thus human health. I first show that climate change is an important element of a system of hazards called “Limits to Growth”. I then argue that the interaction of climate change and other Limits to Growth elements risks civilization “failure” and possibly its “collapse”. Either consequence, were one to occur, entails profound risks to global population health, yet appreciation of this is still largely outside the health literature. I then discuss these relationships (including with civilization's destiny) with bioethical schools. The oldest of these (also called medical ethics) is strongly related to health and medicine, but in a later (1970) formulation the prefix “bio” is broader than human biology, though this school also has roots in human health. Van Rensselaer Potter, widely recognized as the founder of this school, subtitled it “the science of survival”. This subtitle seems to acknowledge an at least implicit risk to civilization. I also briefly discuss environmental ethics. By calling for greater discussion of the risk of civilization failure (or its collapse) this paper makes an important and original contribution to bioethics, however conceptualized. The major scholarly contribution of this paper is its call for the human health literature to refresh its consideration of Limits to Growth, to reconsider aspects that have become marginalized in the health literature, and for health workers to deepen their engagement with related literatures, especially of human ecology. We must contemplate the unthinkable if we are to help avert it.

Introduction

Climate and land use change may cause the geographical range of mosquitoes to expand, shift, or contract, ultimately changing what communities are at risk for contracting mosquito-borne diseases. Across North and South America, mosquitoes from the Aedes and Culex genera are vectors for numerous diseases, including chikungunya, dengue, various equine encephalitis viruses, Saint Louis encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, yellow fever virus, and Zika virus. The goal of our study was to project the geographical distributions of important mosquito vectors across North and South America in response to climate change, which is important to inform public health planning.

Methods

We used an ecological niche model and future projections of climate and land use to project the geographical ranges of two Aedes species (Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus) and seven Culex species (Cx. erraticus, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. restuans, Cx. salinarius, Cx. tarsalis) over North and South America in response to both a high (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway [SSP] 5, Representative Concentration Pathway [RCP] 8.5) and moderate (SSP2 RCP4.5) climate warming scenario through years 2050 and 2090.

Results

For SSP5 RCP8.5, six species (Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Cx. erraticus, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. restuans) are projected to expand in geographical range, two species (Cx. pipiens, Cx. tarsalis) are projected to shift in geographical range, and one species (Cx. salinarius) is projected to nearly remain the same. Five species (Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Cx. erraticus, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus) show the largest increase in high habitat suitability (>0.5 on a 0–1 scale) for SSP5 RCP8.5, three species (Cx. pipiens, Cx. restuans, Cx. tarsalis) show the largest increase for SSP2 RCP4.5, and one species (Cx. salinarius) shows a relatively small decrease in response to both scenarios.

Conclusions

We found that all nine species responded resiliently to climate change under both the high and moderate climate warming scenario, suggesting mosquito-borne disease is likely to be a continued threat in response to climate change. The projected geographical ranges can be used to inform disease risk analyses and mitigation strategies in response to climate change.

Introduction

Climate change has negatively impacted the agricultural and socioeconomic infrastructure of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries leading to conditions that promote human migration. It has also led to emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases. This pilot study aimed to identify climate-related drivers of migration and to describe the burden of climate-sensitive neglected tropical diseases (NTD) in immigrants living in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Methods

First generation immigrants from LAC countries living in the Atlanta-metro area were recruited between May and December 2021. Participants completed a survey concerning demographics, socioeconomics, living conditions in their country of origin and living conditions in Atlanta, and motivations for migration. Blood and stool samples were collected to identify Chagas disease and soil-transmitted helminths, and skin exams screened for leprosy and leishmaniasis. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariable analyses of this dataset looked at the association between a climate-driven motivation to migrate and geographic and socioeconomic factors.

Results

Fifty-seven individuals were recruited representing 11 LAC countries of origin. Most originated from Central America (n = 32; 56 %) and Mexico (n = 13; 23%). Forty-two participants reported a change in climate or weather in their country of origin prior to moving and direct climate drivers of migration (e.g., floods, drought, etc.) were identified by 12 participants (21.1%). Infectious diseases screening found one definitive case of Chagas (2.5%) out of 40 blood samples screened. Food insecurity was significantly associated with a climate-related factor for migrating: aOR = 6.3 (95 % CI 1.1, 35.5).

Conclusions

While most participants did not directly identify “climate change” as a reason for migration, our study reveals many factors such as food insecurity, agricultural occupations, and region of origin that may underlie climate-motivated migration. Finding one case of Chagas was also noteworthy and shows the need for improved surveillance for this important NTD.