The journal of climate change and health最新文献

Background

Greenhouse gas emissions from employee commutes contribute to the carbon footprint of the healthcare sector. We sought to analyze the patterns of employee commutes and quantify the resulting greenhouse gas emissions for three large health systems in Cleveland, Ohio.

Methods

An employee survey was obtained and reviewed for data regarding home location, mode of commute, distance traveled, and commute time. Emissions for each survey participant were estimated using the United States Environment Protection Agency Emission Factor Inventory. Emissions per survey participant were multiplied by the total number of employees to estimate commute-related emissions for each health system.

Results

A total of 3,192 employees responded to the survey, including 988 from Cleveland Clinic, 271 from VA Medical Center, and 1933 from MetroHealth System. The vast majority of survey participants drove by themselves to work in an automobile. Annual greenhouse gas emissions per participant (in kg CO2-eq) were 1750 (Cleveland Clinic), 3333 (VA Medical Center), and 2834 (MetroHealth System) with variations due to differences in commute distances. Total annual emissions per health system were estimated as: 36,006,250 (Cleveland Clinic), 11,998,800 (VA Medical Center), and 22,672,000 (MetroHealth System).

Conclusions

Employee commutes are a potential area of intervention to decrease the carbon footprint of healthcare institutions. We recommend that health systems periodically survey employees to understand commute patterns and work with employees and policymakers to support and promote lower-emission transportation modes.

Background

Physicians play a critical role in addressing the health-related impacts of climate change. However, integration of education on the health effects of climate change into medical school curricula remains limited. Medical students are identified as both key stakeholders in curriculum development and leaders in curriculum change efforts. Student perspectives on the importance of learning about climate change and health are lacking and may help guide curricular growth. This study evaluates Canadian medical students’ experiences, attitudes and interests related to climate change and health in medical education.

Methods

A cross-sectional, population-based survey was developed, piloted and distributed to all students in Canadian medical schools who had completed ≥1 year of training by June 30, 2020. Responses were tabulated and characterized using descriptive statistics.

Results

In total, 1424 eligible respondents submitted the survey, representing 12.1% of all Canadian medical students. The sample included respondents from all years of study and every school, with the majority reporting no or low engagement with climate change advocacy (70.8%). Most students believed climate change is an important determinant of health (88.0%) that will affect their future patients’ health (89.6%) and that teaching on climate change should be formally incorporated into medical curricula (85.6%). A majority of students reported less teaching on climate change and health relative to other topics (85.0%) and most wanted more teaching (79.8%).

Conclusions

Respondents from Canadian medical schools expressed strong interest in learning about climate change and health. Our nationwide study identifies areas for curriculum development to address the health consequences of a changing climate.

Introduction

The United States (US) spends a staggering amount on costs secondary to natural disasters, over $2 trillion between 1980 and 2021, during which time 15,347 disaster related deaths also occurred [1]. We assess the relationship between CO2, temperature, and the number and economic costs of billion-dollar disaster events in the US during this period.

Materials & Methods

Data on the annual number of inflation-adjusted billion-dollar disasters in the US, global CO2 levels, average temperature, and fatalities were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the period 1980–2021. Spearman's correlation (r_s) was calculated to analyze the relationship between these variables.

Results

Over this 41-year period, CO2 levels, temperature, and the number of billion-dollar disasters in the US all increased and are strongly correlated. The rate of events over this period increased along with increases in CO2 (Spearman's correlation (r_s)=0.841) and temperature (r_s =0.748).

Conclusions

CO2 levels and temperature have increased over the past 4 decades and are strongly positively correlated with the number of and total cost due to billion-dollar disasters. This strong correlation suggests that the annual number of events in the US will continue to increase along with their economic burden, so measures are needed to mitigate those costs. We recommend a focus on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) as an immediate cost savings measure, in keeping with United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction and UN Sustainable Development Goals recommendations. Additional research on the healthcare costs associated with natural disasters is needed.

Existential risks of climate change and nature loss are proceeding and their impacts on human health are increasingly acknowledged. However, practical actions that broadly consider planetary health, that is, “the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends“, are scarce. Therefore, Nature Step to Health ‒ Lahti Regional Health and Environment Programme 2022-2032 was initiated in 2021 by three main actors: Wellbeing services county of Päijät-Häme, City of Lahti, and Lahti University Campus. In this case report we describe how the programme was built: its initiation, coordination, objectives, main stakeholders, and lessons learned during the early process. Sharing this case may encourage and help others to similar initiatives and projects and action for planetary health.

Sea level rise-induced salinity encroachment is causing various community-level planetary health impacts in coastal areas worldwide. The coastal area of Bangladesh is no exception. Driven by sea level rise, coastal Bangladesh's salinity is amplified by other factors such as shrimp cultivation, reduction of transboundary river flow in the dry season, mismanagement of the embankment, and frequent cyclone-related storm surges. Due to the salinity encroachment in this region, water and soil salinity is increasing, resulting in multiple planetary health impacts. Based on twenty years of field observation and an extensive literature review, these health impacts can be categorized as (i) primary health consequences (communicable and non-communicable diseases; scarcity of potable water), (ii) secondary health consequences (food and nutrition security; migration and related health impacts) and (iii) tertiary health consequences (adaptation-related emerging diseases; disaster-related health vulnerability). By exploring these multidimensional health impacts and associated factors of salinity, a collective intelligence-based framework to address the health impacts is described in this paper. Collective intelligence can be a valuable technique to engage multiple stakeholders in sharing and gathering data, and to facilitate the modeling of the health impacts of salinity. Collective intelligence can also help indicate appropriate interventions to address the planetary health impacts of increasing salinity.

This case report is a reflective narrative, documenting the methods used to develop a policy framework for a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being for Australia. The report aims to guide advocates, communities of practice, and governments in developing a comprehensive policy response to climate change and its health impacts.