The journal of climate change and health最新文献

Human population growth and development coupled with centuries of atmospheric colonization by the world's richest regions have now made evident a potentially irreversible disruption in the restoration capacity of the planet's ecosystems. The production, utilization, and consumption of animal products has been closely intertwined to human biologic and social evolution. This relationship is now threatening human health and the equilibrium of the planet's ecosystem. Global food production is responsible for 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) with the use of animals as a source for food, as well as livestock feed, responsible for almost 60% of all food production emissions. Consumption of a high-resource diet based on animal products without a reciprocal nutritional value while degrading the environment and animal and human health is unethical and no longer sustainable. Without a major and urgent transformation in global meat consumption, and even if zero GHGE in all other sectors are achieved, agriculture alone will consume the entire world's carbon budget needed to keep global temperature rise under 2 °C by 2050. In this viewpoint, we illustrate the impact our current food-production system has on resource utilization and human and animal health. There is an urgent need to shift to a predominantly plant-based diet to arrest and potentially revert the negative environmental, animal, and human health impact of industrial animal agriculture. Healthcare professionals have the ethical responsibility to provide evidence-based information to patients and their families for their health benefits.

Introduction

Climate change poses a considerable risk of further increasing the world's mental health burden. The ways that, and extent to which, climate change is affecting mental health service users is poorly known. Mental health professionals (MHP)s' views on the nature of climate-related distress and the need for specialist training to support service users is undetermined globally.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was disseminated to an opportunity sample of MHPs based in the United Kingdom (UK). It investigated whether MHPs perceived that the number of service users mentioning climate change as affecting their mental health or emotional distress had increased in the five years prior to 2021, and if they believe it will increase further. The survey explored MHPs’ perceptions of the influence of climate change on service users’ mental health needs, if they perceive this to be rational, and if they feel adequately prepared to manage climate change related mental health problems or emotional distress.

Results

We surveyed 75 MHPs, including professionals in psychotherapy (38), psychology (19), psychiatry (6). MHPs reported a significant increase in the perceived prevalence of mental health problems or emotional distress related to climate change, believing this increase will continue. MHPs reported a range of impacts on service users due to climate change, typically viewed as a rational response. MHPs felt equipped to manage the consequences of climate change but would benefit from specific training.

Conclusions

Our results indicate an increasing incidence of climate-related emotional distress among service users as perceived by MHPs. The expectation among professionals is that this service need is here now but will continue to increase in the future, with potential implications for the provision of training.

Background

In the face of climate change the health sector will need to tackle both the increasing consequences for health worldwide and to reduce its own carbon footprint, which is estimated at 4.4% of global emissions. Raising the voice of health professionals has been identified as paramount to achieving the wide-scale and urgent response required to limit the consequences of climate change for health. Among health professionals, anesthetic practitioners are ideally placed to lead the way given that they make daily decisions regarding anesthetic gasses with a considerable footprint on climate and the environment.

Methods

Here, we describe a cross-sectional nationwide survey among 3,300 anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists in Norway, focusing on climate change, health, and sustainable anesthetic care. Responses were tabulated and characterized using descriptive statistics.

Results

A large majority of the responding anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists (n = 697, response rate 21.1%) agreed or strongly agreed that the world is facing a climate crisis; that nurses and doctors have a particular responsibility to warn about health threats; and that health organizations should limit their impact on climate and the environment. We found that desflurane is still widely used in Norway, despite its high climate footprint. We also identified several barriers to development of sustainable anesthetic care, including a lack of easy access to waste management systems, an absence of guidelines which promote sustainable care, and inadequate means for disposal of drug residues.

Conclusions

Alongside other surveys, the present survey identifies safe and feasible adjustments to anesthetic practice which can give substantial emission reductions, pave the way for a wider health sector response, and yield considerable benefits to planetary health.

Due to the many benefits of physical activity for human health, its promotion has established itself as an important public health topic. Global warming is influencing how and when people can be physically active, requiring adaptation measures to combat heat. At the same time, many physical activities, particularly when it comes to sports and exercise, cause carbon emissions and effect environments negatively, which opens discussions on potential ways of mitigation. This commentary lays out a framework for research priorities in the field of physical activity promotion from a perspective of planetary health. Its intent is to stimulate discussions on how research in this field can be aligned with planetary health.

Background

Climate change has been deemed the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. One consequence of climate change is the increasing frequency and severity of forest fires. Smoke from wildfires has the ability to negatively impact air quality over large distances. The aim of this study was to examine the association that air quality had on emergency department visits for cardiac, respiratory and psychiatric/behavioral health chief complaints during forest fire season in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Methods

The study period was January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2019. Forest fire season was defined as April 1- September 30. Air quality (measured by PM2.5 in ug/m³) was obtained from the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Air Quality station. Emergency department visit data (CEDIS triage complaint) was acquired from a regional emergency department database. A generalized linear mixed model with Poisson link function was used to determine the relative risk (as a percentage) for respiratory, cardiac and psychiatric/behavioral health CEDIS triage complaints associated with a 10 unit increase in PM2.5.

Results

PM2.5 during forest fire season was significantly associated with emergency department visits for respiratory chief complaints. For every 10 ug/m³ increase in PM2.5, there was a 4.61% (95% CI: 3.07, 6.17) increase in relative risk of respiratory chief complaints presenting to emergency departments. No association was found between PM2.5 and cardiac or psychiatric/behavioral health chief complaints during forest fire season or non-forest fire season. During non-forest fire season, PM2.5 was found to be negatively associated with respiratory (-3.57, 95% CI: -5.44, -1.66) and cardiac chief complaints (-2.77, 95% CI: -4.16, -1.47).

Conclusion

Our results indicate a probable association between air quality during forest fire season and emergency department visits for respiratory chief complaints. This provides further illustration of the widespread impact of climate change, and underscores the importance of efforts to address it.

The brain health and development implications of climate change are situated within a large and rapidly increasing body of evidence that addresses the physical and mental health impacts and implications of extreme and worsening environments. The costs to individuals and societies of negatively impacted brain development are profound – be it in the form of diagnosable developmental disability, reduced cognitive capacity, or areas of behavioral functioning. We have sought to describe the key risk domains that climate change presents with respect to healthy brain development, from the prenatal through to youth stages. Scoping review methods and an a priori search strategy were used to address the question: What are the major considerations of the peer-reviewed literature that address climate change as it relates to brain development and health from early development through to youth populations? Themes from the identified papers were charted, and findings were summarized through a consensus process. A total of 40 papers were identified in the search, spanning 2008–2022. Based on the thematic analysis, results are organized into the following nine themes: 1) heat extremes, 2) weather extremes and stress, 3) air pollution, 4) vector and waterborne illnesses, 5) malnutrition, 6) equity, 7) economic implications, 8) methods issues, and 9) responses. There is a clear consensus amongst the papers in this review suggesting that changing climate patterns and weather extremes have substantial and wide-ranging effects on developing brains. A range of responses are proposed with an emphasis upon early intervention and better data.

Background

Climate change is predicted to be one of the most substantial influences on future global public health. Addressing this urgent problem requires substantive public and professional engagement in developing public health policy and ensuring its implementation and adherence. This paper explores the current perceptions of the public and officers of public health and their willingness to engage in a climate health policy.

Methods

A systematic integrative review was conducted, drawing on an established framework. This incorporated systematic literature searching, quality appraisal, data extraction and synthesis of findings from qualitative and quantitative studies.

Results

Only 13 studies were included in the review, indicating a paucity of knowledge. However, a growth in the number of studies during the recent decade was observed. Significant concerns identified were belief that public health wasn't sufficiently engaged in the climate debate or associated policies, a felt lack of expertise among public health experts regarding their ability to influence policy in this area (knowledge, resources and influence), and a small but significant proportion of professionals and the public denying the reality of climate change. The findings demonstrate public understanding and support for policy when climate change is seen within a health frame. Further, the study shows gaps in the required knowledge, attitudes, resources, and political and administrative support in effective public health engagement.

Conclusion

These findings point to the need for both strategic involvement and empowerment of public health officials at national and local levels, and development of a robust evidence base to support resultant policies.

Introduction

Academic medical faculty, who devote their lives to improving human health, are often frequent travelers. Given the significant contribution of transportation and travel activities to local and global environmental degradation, faculty must grapple with the impact of their work on patients and the public. During the COVID-19 pandemic, academicians were forced to develop innovative communication and business strategies, which also spawned new perspectives on the role of travel in academic life. We sought to learn more about these adaptations and perspectives, and to consider whether insights gained might inform a more deliberate and conscientious culture of academic travel.

Materials and Methods

We conducted faculty focus groups with participants from different academic levels and four different health graduate programs at an academic medical center, and inquired about motivations for and perspectives on past, present and future travel practices.

Results

Faculty provided extensive observations about their travel histories and how, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were responding to abrupt challenges to their personal and professional responsibilities. They addressed the cognitive dissonance generated by flying frequently during a time of global warming, and they offered multiple recommendations for changes to the status quo.

Conclusion

Building on the rich qualitative data gathered during our focus groups, we propose a unique framework for academicians to advance the culture of travel in the 21st century. This framework proposes specific steps to mitigate planetary degradation and its associated inequities, and it suggests creative mechanisms for simultaneously enhancing the personal and professional quality of faculty life.