This document summarizes key points about extreme weather events and public health impacts from a training course for public health professionals. It discusses how extreme weather events like typhoons, floods and wildfires threaten public health. While the health risks of these events include direct impacts like mortality and morbidity, indirect impacts include disrupted access to clean water and medical care. The impacts of extreme weather are distributed unevenly and often driven by a few catastrophic events. Adaptation efforts like early warning systems and emergency response planning can help reduce future health risks from extreme weather events which are expected to increase with climate change.
Reframing Climate Change as a Public Health Issue: Challenges and Opportuniti...Renzo Guinto
Â
The Philippines faces significant challenges from climate change, ranking high on global indices of vulnerability. However, public awareness of climate change impacts is low. The document discusses opportunities for the health sector to play a leading role in climate action. It proposes reframing climate change as a public health issue to raise awareness and support for adaptation. The Department of Health is well-positioned to champion this approach and strengthen climate resilience through existing health policies and programs.
The document discusses climate change adaptation and CDC's Climate and Health Program. It provides an overview of the BRACE framework, a 5-step process developed by CDC to help public health agencies develop climate adaptation plans. It then highlights success stories from the Minnesota and San Francisco public health departments in using the BRACE framework to assess health vulnerabilities, educate the public, and develop adaptation strategies to address health risks from climate change such as extreme heat, flooding and air pollution.
This policy brief examines temperature-related health impacts in the United States. It discusses how temperature variations can cause health issues like heat-related illnesses and mortality. Certain populations, like those in urban areas, are more vulnerable. The brief recommends a holistic approach to address this issue through disaster management planning that integrates health systems. It also emphasizes stakeholder involvement, infrastructure improvements, and public preparedness. Temperature changes significantly impact health care delivery systems by increasing heat-related sickness and healthcare costs. Preventive actions are needed year-round to reduce burdens on public health.
Climate change, health, and an introduction to epidemiologic methods. This lecture was held in the researcher training sessions which are part of the Adapting to Climate Change in China II project. http://www.ccadaptation.org.cn/
This document discusses the impacts of disasters on health and the environment. It provides an overview of key topics including how disasters affect the health system and disease transmission. Disasters can indirectly impact health through effects on other sectors like water and sanitation. The health impacts of disasters depend on factors like the type of disaster, pre-existing public health conditions, and the effectiveness of the response. Both communicable and non-communicable diseases are discussed, as well as how different disaster types carry varying risks of epidemics. Specific health impacts of disasters like earthquakes, floods, and complex emergencies are also outlined.
Factors of climate extremes hyperactivity: a study on MENAPremier Publishers
Â
It is hard to say that all climate events are entirely related to global warming. In this regard, models usually used for global warming predictions are not appropriate for some of climate trends. For instance, prolonged drought in MENA region could not be analyses by global warming predictions. It seems the climate condition in this region is better understood by using the new concept âclimate hyperactivityâ rather than using the usual global warming predictions. Drought in MENA region is different with other precipitation and temperature rates throughout the world. On one hand, MENA drought is not nonlinear and is not a sudden climate change. On the other hand, there is no sign of reversibility or temporality of climate change in MENA; therefore it is not a macro-climate change either. In fact, MENA drought is a type of hyperactivity of normal behavior of climate factors which leads to a new normal climate in the region. According to Paleo-climate studies, in previous millennia, some kinds of similar climate hyperactivity has led the region to a drier and hotter climate. Rather than focusing on epistemology of climate change, this article compares MENAâs drought with the dominant paradigm of climate change which is concentrated on global warming and greenhouse effect. According to climate factors, the regionâs climate change is more effected by natural and climate factors than greenhouse effects.
When this chapter was written, Drs Roger Glass and Eric Noji were medical epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Georgia. Dr. Glass is currently Director of the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland. Dr. Noji is currently Chief Executive Officer of Noji Global Health and Security LLC based in Washington DC and Geneva Switzerland
People and Green Spaces: Promoting Public Health And Mental Well-Being Throug...KlausGroenholm
Â
This document discusses how contact with nature and green spaces can promote both individual and public health outcomes. It reviews research showing the mental health benefits of ecotherapy and being in nature. The research found that, in addition to individual benefits, activities in green spaces can achieve unexpected social and community outcomes by building social connections and natural resources. This adds value for public health that has been overlooked. The document argues for more strategic and collaborative public health policies that incorporate access to nature to improve health and well-being.
Reframing Climate Change as a Public Health Issue: Challenges and Opportuniti...Renzo Guinto
Â
The Philippines faces significant challenges from climate change, ranking high on global indices of vulnerability. However, public awareness of climate change impacts is low. The document discusses opportunities for the health sector to play a leading role in climate action. It proposes reframing climate change as a public health issue to raise awareness and support for adaptation. The Department of Health is well-positioned to champion this approach and strengthen climate resilience through existing health policies and programs.
The document discusses climate change adaptation and CDC's Climate and Health Program. It provides an overview of the BRACE framework, a 5-step process developed by CDC to help public health agencies develop climate adaptation plans. It then highlights success stories from the Minnesota and San Francisco public health departments in using the BRACE framework to assess health vulnerabilities, educate the public, and develop adaptation strategies to address health risks from climate change such as extreme heat, flooding and air pollution.
This policy brief examines temperature-related health impacts in the United States. It discusses how temperature variations can cause health issues like heat-related illnesses and mortality. Certain populations, like those in urban areas, are more vulnerable. The brief recommends a holistic approach to address this issue through disaster management planning that integrates health systems. It also emphasizes stakeholder involvement, infrastructure improvements, and public preparedness. Temperature changes significantly impact health care delivery systems by increasing heat-related sickness and healthcare costs. Preventive actions are needed year-round to reduce burdens on public health.
Climate change, health, and an introduction to epidemiologic methods. This lecture was held in the researcher training sessions which are part of the Adapting to Climate Change in China II project. http://www.ccadaptation.org.cn/
This document discusses the impacts of disasters on health and the environment. It provides an overview of key topics including how disasters affect the health system and disease transmission. Disasters can indirectly impact health through effects on other sectors like water and sanitation. The health impacts of disasters depend on factors like the type of disaster, pre-existing public health conditions, and the effectiveness of the response. Both communicable and non-communicable diseases are discussed, as well as how different disaster types carry varying risks of epidemics. Specific health impacts of disasters like earthquakes, floods, and complex emergencies are also outlined.
Factors of climate extremes hyperactivity: a study on MENAPremier Publishers
Â
It is hard to say that all climate events are entirely related to global warming. In this regard, models usually used for global warming predictions are not appropriate for some of climate trends. For instance, prolonged drought in MENA region could not be analyses by global warming predictions. It seems the climate condition in this region is better understood by using the new concept âclimate hyperactivityâ rather than using the usual global warming predictions. Drought in MENA region is different with other precipitation and temperature rates throughout the world. On one hand, MENA drought is not nonlinear and is not a sudden climate change. On the other hand, there is no sign of reversibility or temporality of climate change in MENA; therefore it is not a macro-climate change either. In fact, MENA drought is a type of hyperactivity of normal behavior of climate factors which leads to a new normal climate in the region. According to Paleo-climate studies, in previous millennia, some kinds of similar climate hyperactivity has led the region to a drier and hotter climate. Rather than focusing on epistemology of climate change, this article compares MENAâs drought with the dominant paradigm of climate change which is concentrated on global warming and greenhouse effect. According to climate factors, the regionâs climate change is more effected by natural and climate factors than greenhouse effects.
When this chapter was written, Drs Roger Glass and Eric Noji were medical epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Georgia. Dr. Glass is currently Director of the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland. Dr. Noji is currently Chief Executive Officer of Noji Global Health and Security LLC based in Washington DC and Geneva Switzerland
People and Green Spaces: Promoting Public Health And Mental Well-Being Throug...KlausGroenholm
Â
This document discusses how contact with nature and green spaces can promote both individual and public health outcomes. It reviews research showing the mental health benefits of ecotherapy and being in nature. The research found that, in addition to individual benefits, activities in green spaces can achieve unexpected social and community outcomes by building social connections and natural resources. This adds value for public health that has been overlooked. The document argues for more strategic and collaborative public health policies that incorporate access to nature to improve health and well-being.
General Introduction to the SYR: focus on the Social Science Aspectipcc-media
Â
The document summarizes key topics from the IPCC AR5 Synthesis Report, including:
1) Four main topics covered in the report focusing on evidence of climate change, impacts, projections, and adaptation/mitigation strategies.
2) Risk and uncertainty are important themes, with both high-probability and low-probability/high-impact outcomes producing high risk.
3) Effective decision-making requires considering a wide range of factors beyond economic assessments alone, including ethics, equity, and diverse perceptions of risk.
4) Adaptation is a complex social process that requires recognizing diverse interests and societal contexts. Transformational adaptation may be needed in some cases.
This document describes two certificate courses. The first course provides an overview of climate change and its health impacts, including introductions to how climate change affects communicable and non-communicable diseases and responses through adaptation and mitigation. The second course targets individuals in health, policy, education, and humanitarian fields and covers public health approaches to disaster response, disaster concepts and trends, health impacts of disasters, and responding to health needs during disasters.
Eeva Primmer's comment: Justice in addressing climate changeTHL
Â
This document discusses key challenges for justice in addressing climate change including procedural justice, distributional justice, mitigation efforts like curbing emissions through diet, housing, transport and energy systems changes, and adaptation efforts like preparing for impacts and managing shortages after extreme weather events. It notes challenges like the uneven distribution of health and welfare impacts across demographic groups, income levels, and geographical regions as well as ensuring recognition and management of risks and opportunities engages all actors, including vulnerable groups.
This document summarizes a study on climate change adaptation and mental health governance. The study included a literature review, interviews with 12 professionals, and an online survey. Key findings included that mental health organizations are overburdened, psychological denial hinders support and action, and sectors like public health and mental health need better collaboration. The discussion notes that Toronto has not created a psychosocial climate change adaptation plan and that mental health professionals are not involved in strategy development. It concludes that coordinating agencies could help reduce burdens on mental health organizations.
This document discusses successful adaptation to climate change. It addresses who makes adaptation decisions across different scales, from individuals to governments. There are three key dimensions to successful adaptation: reducing a system's sensitivity; altering its exposure; and increasing its resilience. However, defining success is complicated by potential externalities across spatial and temporal scales. Adaptation must be evaluated based on principles of equity, effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy to promote sustainable action.
Evidence Based Public Health Practices Challenges For Health Nedds Assessment...Jorge Pacheco
Â
This document discusses challenges with conducting health needs assessments after disasters. It notes that while quick response is important, obtaining valid data through evidence-based assessments is also crucial. However, situational challenges like access issues, political pressures, and methodology limitations can hamper comprehensive assessments. As a result, assessments may focus only on acute needs and logistic-friendly areas, missing chronic and vulnerable populations. This can lead to relief interventions not fully addressing the real health problems. Thorough planning and experienced assessors are needed to minimize mistakes and ensure appropriate relief.
An introduction to some of the health risks associated with climate change. This presentation was part of the provincial researcher workshops conducted as part of the Adapting to Climate Change in China II project.
What motivates people to take precautionary action against earthquake risk in...Global Risk Forum GRFDavos
Â
1) The study examined factors that motivate individuals in Istanbul, Turkey to take precautions against earthquake risks.
2) It found that socioeconomic factors like education level, home ownership, and economic status were crucial in determining preparedness.
3) Having more knowledge about earthquakes and emergency measures also increased likelihood of taking action. The researchers recommend targeted awareness programs to educate people.
This document discusses trends in risk factors and adverse health outcomes. It begins by defining risk factors and describing why they are important to study. It then discusses the nature of health risks and the risk transition as societies develop. The document outlines the global burden of disease and risk factor assessments. It describes frameworks for reducing the preventable burden of chronic diseases from the CDC and the WHO. The WHO's global monitoring framework for noncommunicable diseases is also summarized.
This study re-examines the relationship between natural disasters and economic growth using panel data from 102 countries from 1981-2015. It finds that natural disasters have diverse economic impacts across sectors depending on disaster type and intensity. The impacts are generally stronger in developing countries. The results indicate floods, droughts, storms and earthquakes have short to medium-term effects on economic growth up to 5 years after the disaster. The findings suggest developing countries should explore pre-disaster risk financing tools like insurance to protect economies and support sustainable development goals.
This document summarizes key concepts from a presentation on integrated water resource management (IWRM) as a tool for adaptation to climate change. IWRM can help adaptation by allowing for better water management, basin planning to identify and mitigate risks, and stakeholder participation to mobilize action and assess risks. The presentation covers climate change impacts on water resources and sectors like agriculture and health. It discusses approaches to climate change impact, adaptation and vulnerability assessments, and the use of climate change scenarios and modeling to project impacts on water resource systems.
Disaster nursing involves adapting professional nursing skills to meet physical, emotional, and nursing needs resulting from disasters. The goals are to achieve the best possible health levels for affected communities and meet basic survival needs. Disaster nursing requires assessing risks and resources, correcting unequal access to care, and promoting quality of life for survivors. Effective disaster nursing requires planning, organizing resources, training, conducting exercises to evaluate response, and continually improving processes.
This document analyzes the impacts of utility disconnection and eviction moratoria policies on COVID-19 infections and deaths across US counties. It finds that policies limiting evictions reduced COVID-19 infections by 3.8% and deaths by 11%, while moratoria on utility disconnections reduced infections by 4.4% and deaths by 7.4%. Had these policies been adopted nationwide, infections could have been reduced up to 14.2% and deaths up to 40.7% with eviction moratoria, and infections reduced up to 8.7% and deaths up to 14.8% with utility disconnection moratoria. The document provides background on housing precarity and heterogeneity in government COVID-
The document discusses the importance of the One Health initiative, a collaborative approach between multiple sectors and disciplines to address health issues at the human-animal-ecosystem interface. It outlines the roles of FAO, OIE, and WHO in promoting One Health through coordination, capacity building, and addressing gaps. It emphasizes the need for preparedness, surveillance, and multi-sectoral response for public health emergencies through strengthening existing frameworks and governance structures.
this ppt is made by shrikrishna kesharwani , student of urban planning,4th year, Manit , Bhopal,
in this ppt, I have discussed how to do pandemic or epidemic management in detail.,
This document discusses public health emergency preparedness and response. It highlights that planning requires a regional approach since emergencies often cross jurisdictional borders. The public health response differs from other agencies in that it does not involve protective equipment, emergency vehicles, or law enforcement functions. Key public health roles in response include prevention, surveillance, intervention, and addressing emergencies on a larger scale. Planning involves various grants, annexes to the overall plan, and use of the Strategic National Stockpile. The incident command system is used to coordinate the multi-agency response and establish command and control.
This document discusses disaster management and is presented by Anuja Taur. It defines disasters as occurrences that cause damage, disruption, loss of life, or deterioration of health on a large scale. Disaster management involves preparing for, responding to, and rebuilding after both natural and man-made disasters. The types of disasters are categorized as natural (meteorological, topographical, environmental) or man-made (technological, industrial accidents, security related). The principles, phases and effects of disaster management are outlined along with examples of major disasters in India and lessons learned.
Health and Disaster Risk- A contribution by the United Nations to the consultation leading to the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.
The document discusses the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in managing health-related problems from pre-disaster to post-disaster. It outlines how ICT can help with risk assessment, response planning, monitoring disease patterns, and involving communities in preparedness. The focus is on how ICT can effectively coordinate response efforts and improve public health outcomes after disasters and emergencies.
Disaster management involves preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. A disaster is defined as any event that causes damage, loss of life, or deterioration of health beyond the capacity of local communities. Disaster nursing focuses on meeting physical and emotional needs resulting from disasters. Disasters can be natural or man-made, and affect communities in different ways depending on factors like speed of onset and duration. The phases of disaster management include preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and mitigation. Nurses play an important role in all phases through activities like community assessment, triage, disease surveillance, and psychological support.
The document outlines 12 strategies for reducing the development gap in poor countries, ranked from highest to lowest impact on national development and number of people affected. Strategies with the highest impact include bilateral aid, trade justice, and multi-lateral aid, while strategies with lower impact include conservation swaps, microloans, and doing nothing.
General Introduction to the SYR: focus on the Social Science Aspectipcc-media
Â
The document summarizes key topics from the IPCC AR5 Synthesis Report, including:
1) Four main topics covered in the report focusing on evidence of climate change, impacts, projections, and adaptation/mitigation strategies.
2) Risk and uncertainty are important themes, with both high-probability and low-probability/high-impact outcomes producing high risk.
3) Effective decision-making requires considering a wide range of factors beyond economic assessments alone, including ethics, equity, and diverse perceptions of risk.
4) Adaptation is a complex social process that requires recognizing diverse interests and societal contexts. Transformational adaptation may be needed in some cases.
This document describes two certificate courses. The first course provides an overview of climate change and its health impacts, including introductions to how climate change affects communicable and non-communicable diseases and responses through adaptation and mitigation. The second course targets individuals in health, policy, education, and humanitarian fields and covers public health approaches to disaster response, disaster concepts and trends, health impacts of disasters, and responding to health needs during disasters.
Eeva Primmer's comment: Justice in addressing climate changeTHL
Â
This document discusses key challenges for justice in addressing climate change including procedural justice, distributional justice, mitigation efforts like curbing emissions through diet, housing, transport and energy systems changes, and adaptation efforts like preparing for impacts and managing shortages after extreme weather events. It notes challenges like the uneven distribution of health and welfare impacts across demographic groups, income levels, and geographical regions as well as ensuring recognition and management of risks and opportunities engages all actors, including vulnerable groups.
This document summarizes a study on climate change adaptation and mental health governance. The study included a literature review, interviews with 12 professionals, and an online survey. Key findings included that mental health organizations are overburdened, psychological denial hinders support and action, and sectors like public health and mental health need better collaboration. The discussion notes that Toronto has not created a psychosocial climate change adaptation plan and that mental health professionals are not involved in strategy development. It concludes that coordinating agencies could help reduce burdens on mental health organizations.
This document discusses successful adaptation to climate change. It addresses who makes adaptation decisions across different scales, from individuals to governments. There are three key dimensions to successful adaptation: reducing a system's sensitivity; altering its exposure; and increasing its resilience. However, defining success is complicated by potential externalities across spatial and temporal scales. Adaptation must be evaluated based on principles of equity, effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy to promote sustainable action.
Evidence Based Public Health Practices Challenges For Health Nedds Assessment...Jorge Pacheco
Â
This document discusses challenges with conducting health needs assessments after disasters. It notes that while quick response is important, obtaining valid data through evidence-based assessments is also crucial. However, situational challenges like access issues, political pressures, and methodology limitations can hamper comprehensive assessments. As a result, assessments may focus only on acute needs and logistic-friendly areas, missing chronic and vulnerable populations. This can lead to relief interventions not fully addressing the real health problems. Thorough planning and experienced assessors are needed to minimize mistakes and ensure appropriate relief.
An introduction to some of the health risks associated with climate change. This presentation was part of the provincial researcher workshops conducted as part of the Adapting to Climate Change in China II project.
What motivates people to take precautionary action against earthquake risk in...Global Risk Forum GRFDavos
Â
1) The study examined factors that motivate individuals in Istanbul, Turkey to take precautions against earthquake risks.
2) It found that socioeconomic factors like education level, home ownership, and economic status were crucial in determining preparedness.
3) Having more knowledge about earthquakes and emergency measures also increased likelihood of taking action. The researchers recommend targeted awareness programs to educate people.
This document discusses trends in risk factors and adverse health outcomes. It begins by defining risk factors and describing why they are important to study. It then discusses the nature of health risks and the risk transition as societies develop. The document outlines the global burden of disease and risk factor assessments. It describes frameworks for reducing the preventable burden of chronic diseases from the CDC and the WHO. The WHO's global monitoring framework for noncommunicable diseases is also summarized.
This study re-examines the relationship between natural disasters and economic growth using panel data from 102 countries from 1981-2015. It finds that natural disasters have diverse economic impacts across sectors depending on disaster type and intensity. The impacts are generally stronger in developing countries. The results indicate floods, droughts, storms and earthquakes have short to medium-term effects on economic growth up to 5 years after the disaster. The findings suggest developing countries should explore pre-disaster risk financing tools like insurance to protect economies and support sustainable development goals.
This document summarizes key concepts from a presentation on integrated water resource management (IWRM) as a tool for adaptation to climate change. IWRM can help adaptation by allowing for better water management, basin planning to identify and mitigate risks, and stakeholder participation to mobilize action and assess risks. The presentation covers climate change impacts on water resources and sectors like agriculture and health. It discusses approaches to climate change impact, adaptation and vulnerability assessments, and the use of climate change scenarios and modeling to project impacts on water resource systems.
Disaster nursing involves adapting professional nursing skills to meet physical, emotional, and nursing needs resulting from disasters. The goals are to achieve the best possible health levels for affected communities and meet basic survival needs. Disaster nursing requires assessing risks and resources, correcting unequal access to care, and promoting quality of life for survivors. Effective disaster nursing requires planning, organizing resources, training, conducting exercises to evaluate response, and continually improving processes.
This document analyzes the impacts of utility disconnection and eviction moratoria policies on COVID-19 infections and deaths across US counties. It finds that policies limiting evictions reduced COVID-19 infections by 3.8% and deaths by 11%, while moratoria on utility disconnections reduced infections by 4.4% and deaths by 7.4%. Had these policies been adopted nationwide, infections could have been reduced up to 14.2% and deaths up to 40.7% with eviction moratoria, and infections reduced up to 8.7% and deaths up to 14.8% with utility disconnection moratoria. The document provides background on housing precarity and heterogeneity in government COVID-
The document discusses the importance of the One Health initiative, a collaborative approach between multiple sectors and disciplines to address health issues at the human-animal-ecosystem interface. It outlines the roles of FAO, OIE, and WHO in promoting One Health through coordination, capacity building, and addressing gaps. It emphasizes the need for preparedness, surveillance, and multi-sectoral response for public health emergencies through strengthening existing frameworks and governance structures.
this ppt is made by shrikrishna kesharwani , student of urban planning,4th year, Manit , Bhopal,
in this ppt, I have discussed how to do pandemic or epidemic management in detail.,
This document discusses public health emergency preparedness and response. It highlights that planning requires a regional approach since emergencies often cross jurisdictional borders. The public health response differs from other agencies in that it does not involve protective equipment, emergency vehicles, or law enforcement functions. Key public health roles in response include prevention, surveillance, intervention, and addressing emergencies on a larger scale. Planning involves various grants, annexes to the overall plan, and use of the Strategic National Stockpile. The incident command system is used to coordinate the multi-agency response and establish command and control.
This document discusses disaster management and is presented by Anuja Taur. It defines disasters as occurrences that cause damage, disruption, loss of life, or deterioration of health on a large scale. Disaster management involves preparing for, responding to, and rebuilding after both natural and man-made disasters. The types of disasters are categorized as natural (meteorological, topographical, environmental) or man-made (technological, industrial accidents, security related). The principles, phases and effects of disaster management are outlined along with examples of major disasters in India and lessons learned.
Health and Disaster Risk- A contribution by the United Nations to the consultation leading to the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.
The document discusses the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in managing health-related problems from pre-disaster to post-disaster. It outlines how ICT can help with risk assessment, response planning, monitoring disease patterns, and involving communities in preparedness. The focus is on how ICT can effectively coordinate response efforts and improve public health outcomes after disasters and emergencies.
Disaster management involves preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. A disaster is defined as any event that causes damage, loss of life, or deterioration of health beyond the capacity of local communities. Disaster nursing focuses on meeting physical and emotional needs resulting from disasters. Disasters can be natural or man-made, and affect communities in different ways depending on factors like speed of onset and duration. The phases of disaster management include preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and mitigation. Nurses play an important role in all phases through activities like community assessment, triage, disease surveillance, and psychological support.
The document outlines 12 strategies for reducing the development gap in poor countries, ranked from highest to lowest impact on national development and number of people affected. Strategies with the highest impact include bilateral aid, trade justice, and multi-lateral aid, while strategies with lower impact include conservation swaps, microloans, and doing nothing.
ICLR Friday Forum: Rapid Arctic warming and extreme weather events in mid-lat...glennmcgillivray
Â
On March 6, 2015, ICLR conducted a Friday Forum webinar entitled 'Rapid Arctic warming and extreme weather events in mid-latitudes: Are they connected? with Dr. Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University.
Does it seem as though the weather gods have gone crazy lately? It is not your imagination. The question on everyone's minds is why, and is it related to climate change? In this fascinating presentation, Dr. Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University explained new research that links increasing extreme weather events with the rapidly warming and melting Arctic in recent decades. Evidence suggests that Arctic warming is causing weather patterns to become more persistent, which can lead to extremes such as droughts, cold spells, heat waves, and some flooding events.
Jennifer Francis earned a B.S. in Meteorology from San Jose State University in 1988 and a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 1994. As a professor at Rutgers University since 1994, she has taught courses in satellite remote sensing and climate-change issues, and also co-founded and co-directed the Rutgers Climate and Environmental Change Initiative. Presently she is a Research Professor with the Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and studies Arctic climate change and Arctic-global climate linkages. She presently serves as a member of the Polar Research Board at the National Academies of Science, the Board for the Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island School of Oceanography, and the advisory board for the UMass-Lowell Department of Environmental Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.
Maps of Iraq, Burma, Afghanistan, China, Thailand and Vietnam are used, with weather cartoons attached to various cities. This was used for the background in a weather report video.
The document provides a list of adjectives to describe weather, atmosphere, and the sky. It asks the reader to match the adjectives to their meanings and identifies opposites and similar meanings. It also includes a table to complete with adjective and noun pairs describing weather.
Economic Impacts of Extreme Weather Events on Farm Households: Evidence from ...anucrawfordphd
Â
1) The document analyzes the economic impacts of extreme weather events like floods and droughts on farm households in Thailand.
2) It finds that crop income is highly sensitive to rainfall shocks, but households are able to smooth consumption to some degree. Having savings and non-farm income helps households cope with risks.
3) The effects of rainfall shocks vary across households based on their assets and livelihoods. Wealthier households with more diverse income sources are better able to cope with extreme weather impacts.
Climate change poses significant risks to occupational health and safety through a variety of hazards. As temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, workers face increased risks from heat stress, wildfires, storms and other impacts. Specific occupations at high risk include outdoor workers, firefighters, emergency responders and agriculture workers. Adaptation is needed through preparedness planning, prevention through design, research, surveillance, clinical response and updated regulations and policies to protect workers from climate change impacts.
ICC Human_Health_v3 on global pollution.pptxRanganathSri1
Â
Climate change is expected to negatively impact human health in Southeast Asia in several key ways:
1) It will exacerbate existing health issues like malaria, dengue, and diarrheal diseases by expanding the range and season of disease vectors. Rising temperatures allow pathogens to spread into new areas and transmit more quickly within vectors.
2) Extreme weather events like cyclones, flooding, and heat waves will increase injuries, deaths and diseases from events like drowning, heat stroke and stress on water and sanitation systems. The poor and vulnerable populations are most at risk.
3) Food insecurity may worsen as crop yields decline from rising temperatures and altered rainfall, increasing malnutrition rates especially in children under five.
Climate change adaptation to protect human health copySazzad Khan
Â
Climate change poses significant threats to human health according to the World Health Organization. The document outlines evidence that climate change is occurring due to increased atmospheric CO2 levels and rising global temperatures. It discusses how climate change can impact health through various pathways and lists some major health vulnerabilities in developing countries. The document then explains that adaptation measures are needed to protect human health from climate variability and change. It provides examples of global collaboration on climate and health adaptation projects between 2010-2014 and discusses vulnerabilities specific to Bangladesh.
This document discusses climate change and its impacts on health. It begins by defining climate change and outlining some of its effects. It then explores several health impacts in more depth, including heat-related illness, impacts on water security and drought, insect-borne illnesses, respiratory disease, and mental health effects. The document also examines financial impacts and health disparities related to climate change. Finally, it discusses the nursing role in addressing climate change through education, research, advocacy, and care provision. Nurses have an obligation to help mitigate climate change impacts and prepare patients and communities.
Health, Climate change & WHO - Final donorreport2011Nexomed
Â
This document discusses the impacts of climate change on health, what has been done to address these impacts, and what still needs to be done. It outlines how climate change is affecting health through increased temperatures, extreme weather, air pollution, food and water insecurity. It discusses how the WHO and others have raised awareness, formed partnerships, and conducted research on these issues. However, more still needs to be done to strengthen health systems, policies and funding to protect populations from climate change impacts through essential public health interventions.
health can be affected by many factors.These may be in terms of environment and also internal body changes depending on climate.It is discussed in details on these slides the main factors that attribute to the health problems.Countries vary differently in terms of number of people contracting diseases due to different physical,social and psychological effects.
ASPHER's ambition in climate change and health educationJohn Middleton
Â
A presentation for the launch of the ASPHER Climate change and health education EU Health Policy Platform network 202207 ASPHER middletonj climate change and health long version.pptx
This document discusses disaster management and is presented by Akshay Kumar, a student with roll number 13EEBCE002. It defines a disaster and outlines different types of natural and man-made disasters. It also describes factors that affect disasters, characteristics of disasters, phases of disasters, principles of disaster management, and phases of disaster management including preparedness, impact, response, rehabilitation, and mitigation. The document provides details on preparedness, impact, response, rehabilitation, mitigation, effects, and recovery related to disaster management.
Promoting Climate Risk Reduction through Risk InsurancePrabhakar SVRK
Â
Risk insurance can provide an effective means of catastrophic risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the developing countries. The ongoing discussions by the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are putting substantial efforts to promote climate change adaptation through international cooperation in the form of providing additional finances and technologies including proposals to promote a global or regional climate risk insurance facility. Case studies from within and outside the Asia-Pacific region provide valuable lessons which could be used for promoting risk insurance by the future climate regime (post-Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012). The analysis of these risk insurance proposals to the Convention and comparison of what they intend to achieve with that of the existing issues within the risk insurance sector in the developing Asia-Pacific indicate that these proposals address some of the major issues that are limiting the spread of risk insurance. However, no single proposal is comprehensive enough to address all the issues and all the proposals lack details in terms of how they can achieve what they intend to achieve. There is a need for the proposals to the Convention to give more thought on how they address the issues such as high base risks, lack of historical data required for designing risk insurance systems, limited awareness in the utility of insurance instruments, keeping the premium prices within affordable levels, encouraging the role of private sector, enabling greater access to reinsurers, and instituting enabling policies to create a proactive risk mitigation environment with an eye on sustainability. A convergence approach wherein the proposals incorporate lessons from on-the-ground experiences from regional, national and local initiatives could provide an effective model for promoting the risk insurance.
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.Christina Parmionova
Â
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health Experts, employers, workers and other guests discussed how to address impacts of climate change on occupational safety and health.
The health consequences of climate change can include cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions.
global disaster trends- emerging risks of disaster- climate changeNitin Vadhel
Â
Disaster risk trends are a measure of the sustainability of development.
Trend analysis helps us to understand patterns of disaster risk and, consequently, whether disaster risk reduction is being effective.
Using disaster trends to inform policy and practice requires a good understanding of the limits of these trends.
The pattern the trend displays (rising, falling or fluctuating) is only as real as the amount, quality and reliability of the data used. For instance, patterns of disaster losses may actually reflect a number of factors unrelated to disaster risk, including the time period over which they are measured and improvements in disaster risk reporting.
In order to account for these problems, analysts determine the statistical significance of the trend.
Climate change poses significant risks to human health that require urgent action. The document outlines the health impacts of climate change such as increased deaths from heat waves, spread of diseases, food and water insecurity. It discusses what has been done through international agreements and WHO efforts in raising awareness, building partnerships and evidence. However, more still needs to be done including strengthening health systems, scaling up proven interventions and increasing funding to protect populations from climate change health impacts.
LA County Department of Public Health - Global WarmingIvonneAguilera8
Â
This document summarizes the key points from a presentation on public health and climate change given by Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding. The summary includes:
1) Climate change is already occurring and human activities are contributing to increased greenhouse gas emissions and rising global temperatures. This will have widespread health impacts.
2) Public health professionals have an important role to play in both mitigating (reducing emissions) and adapting to the health impacts of climate change through emergency preparedness, advocacy, and promoting behaviors and policies that are good for both health and the environment.
3) Many strategies for mitigating climate change through reducing emissions from transportation, buildings, agriculture and other sectors also provide significant public health co-benefits
To Review the Impact and Copping Strategies of Climate Change in Developing C...AI Publications
Â
Rapid change in climate is set to alter the delicate balance that exists between man and nature. The literature to this effect points out that the poorest countries and communities are likely to suffer the most because of their geographic locations, low income and low institutional capacity, as well as their greater reliance on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture. Even if climate mitigations plans are implemented properly there will be some degree of warming due to inertia of emissions already released. As such, there is a strong consensus about the need of adaptation to changing climatic conditions. Adaptation to climate change is given increasing international attention as the conïŽdence in climate change projections is getting higher. Developing countries have speciïŽc needs for adaptation due to high vulnerabilities, and they will in this way carry a great part of the global costs of climate change although the rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are mainly the responsibility of industrialized countries. Adaptation is believed to enhance the resilience against increasing climate variability. In this backdrop, the objective of the present paper is, therefore, to systematically and critically review the existing literature on the impacts of climate change and choice of adaptations across countries and draw insights for suggesting a comprehensive policy framework particularly for developing countries in this regard. The paper ïŽnds that the role of government and civil society is crucial for enabling efïŽcient adaptation methods. Development policies and programs having synergy effect with climate change initiatives help adapt with the changing climate better. However, the availability of clean technology in developing countries will play the decisive role in controlling their growth rate of emission.
Climate change threatens human health in the United States. This scientific assessment was developed to understand and inform decisions about this growing threat. The purpose is to provide a comprehensive estimate of observed and projected climate-related health impacts. Climate change is a significant threat to American health through multiple pathways, including increased deaths from heat and air pollution, worsening of diseases spread by insects and airborne allergens, and greater health risks during extreme weather events. Vulnerable populations face increased risks.
Climate change threatens human health in the United States. This scientific assessment was developed to understand and inform decisions about this growing threat. The purpose is to provide a comprehensive estimate of observed and projected climate-related health impacts. Climate change is projected to increase heat-related deaths and illnesses while decreasing cold-related deaths. It will also exacerbate ozone pollution, increase health impacts from wildfires and extreme weather, and alter the spread of vector-borne diseases.
1. Describe why climate change is an evolving practice and.docxjackiewalcutt
Â
1. Describe why climate change is an evolving practice and concept of Environmental Health. What are two (2) examples of how climate change is related to and impacts Environmental Health? Describe how you view your role in communicating this complex environmental issue to your patients/stakeholders/community. Use only the space provided below (i.e. Pgs. 1 & 2).
WHY CLIMATE CHANGE IS AN EVOLVING PART OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. Climate change is an evolving practice owing to the ever-changing challenges that it presents â like what challenges????. Increasing temperatures, extreme weather events and rising sea levels all pose environmental health challengesâĶ.. In spite of the fact that the climate is changing, there are a lot of new emerging issues (increasing temperatures and rising sea levels) that may render previous studies useless (McMichael, 2013). The ability to keep abreast with climate change therefore requires a dynamic approach that adapts to the current issues. Climate change is an indisputable fact, and our health will be affected by it. Fortunately, society is becoming aware of this serious problem, and the answer should be together, individually and collectively. The way in which we have to deal with the climate change in the coming years will determine whether it has either a greater or else lesser impact on our health (McMichael, 2013).
TWO EXAMPLES OF HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. During the past few years, The repercussions of climate change go beyond the purely socio-economicit has shown that climate change is a reality that affects health. Its repercussions are beyond the purely socio-economic and political dimensions, and we are beginning to be aware of the potential impact on human health. We are constantly exposed to pollution that may be detrimental to our health, both immediately and long term. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 23% of deaths occurring in the world are related in some way to the environmental health issues (McMichael, 2013). For instance, Cholera: The so-called 'disease of the poor' is a disorder caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, 'which is very easily transmitted by contaminated water and food. Restricted to developing countries, the widespread increase in water temperatures anticipates an increase in the incidence of this disease, which is characterized by severe vomiting, cramps and diarrhea and can even cause death. In addition, diseases arising from malnutrition are also on the rise owing to the lack of favorable climate to sustain the growing of various crops that supply the nutrients. Therefore, the human being is left to evolve to stop attacking the environment in which they live and by being able to manage climate change.
. HOW ENVH PRACTITIONERS COMMUNICATE CLIMATE-RELATED INFO TO THE PUBLIC. The environment determines the health not only of individuals but also of communities. The environmental health concept is very modern but actually has ver ...
Economic perspectives on the impact of climate change on agricultureharrison manyumwa
Â
The world's climate is changing, and the growing evidence is that the major drivers are anthropogenic, i.e. caused by humans. While humans are contributing to the changing climates the impacts of climate change on other humans range from minor to severe depending on the region one is located. As such, climate change has been viewed as a problem with a negative exernality. The diverse distributionl impacts have resulted in "winners" and "losers". But what is the way forward. I argue that "winners" should support and help the "losers" regain a normal life, by helping them to be resilient. Enjoy.
The document discusses the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems. It states that humanity is conducting an uncontrolled global experiment by polluting the atmosphere through fossil fuel use and population growth, with consequences that could be second only to a global nuclear war. These changes threaten global security and are already harming parts of the world.
Similar to World Health Day 2008 10 Extreme Weather Events (20)
āļāļēāļĢāļāļđāđāļĨāļāđāļēāļāļāļđāđāļŠāļđāļāļāļēāļĒāļļāđāļāļāļĢāļ°āđāļāļĻāđāļāļĒāļāļāļĄāļĩāļŦāļāđāļ§āļĒāļāļēāļāļŦāļĨāļēāļĒāļŦāļāđāļ§āļĒāļāļēāļāļāļĩāđāļāļđāđāļĨāļāļĒāļđāđ āļāļĒāđāđāļēāļāđāļĢāļāđāļāļĩ āļāđāļāļ°āļāđāļāļāļāļāļāđāļāļāļĢāļ°āļāļāļŠāļģāļŦāļĢāļąāļ health and well-being āļāļĒāđāļēāļāļāđāļ§āļāļŦāļāđāļē āđāļāļĒ Leave no one behind āđāļāļĒāļāļđāļĢāļāļēāļāļēāļĢāđāļāļāđāļēāļāļŦāļāđāļēāđāļŦāđāļāļĩāđāļĨāļ°āļĒāļąāđāļāļĒāļ·āļ āđāļŦāļĄāļēāļ°āļŠāļĄāļāļąāļāļāļĢāļīāļāļāļāļāļāļāļĢāļ°āđāļāļĻāđāļāļĒ
This document discusses chronic disease management in respiratory patients. It notes that chronic respiratory diseases are a leading cause of disability in Thailand. Effective chronic disease management programs can help improve outcomes for patients with conditions like COPD. Key elements of chronic respiratory disease management include education for patients and caregivers, care coordination, self-management support, and addressing exacerbation risks. The chronic care model emphasizes productive interactions between activated patients and prepared healthcare teams. Holistic care requires understanding patients' overall needs and promoting independent self-care. Primary care clusters and district health boards can help coordinate services for chronic respiratory conditions in a value-based, patient-centric way.
āđāļĢāļāđāļĢāļ·āđāļāļĢāļąāļāđāļāļĩāđāļĒāļ§āļāļąāļāļĢāļ°āļāļāļāļēāļāđāļāļīāļāļŦāļēāļĒāđāļ āļāļąāļāļ§āđāļēāđāļāđāļāļāļąāļāļŦāļēāļŠāļēāļāļēāļĢāļāļŠāļļāļāļāļĩāđāļāļĢāļ°āļāļāļāđāļāļāļļāļāļ āļēāļāļāļĩāļ§āļīāļāļāļĢāļ°āļāļēāļāļāļĄāļēāļāđāļāđāļāļāļąāļāļāļąāļāļāđāļāđ āļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāļāļēāļĢāļ°āļāļāļāļēāļĢāļāļđāđāļĨāļāļĩāđāđāļĢāļĩāļĒāļāļ§āđāļē chronic care model āļāļąāļāļ§āđāļēāļāļ°āļāđāļ§āļĒāļāļąāđāļ health and well being āļāļāđāļāđ āļāļĢāļāļāļāļĢāļąāļ§ āđāļĨāļ°āļāđāļ§āļĒāļāļēāļāļāđāļēāļ equity efficiency āļĢāļ°āļāļāļāļĢāļīāļāļēāļĢāļŠāļēāļāļēāļĢāļāļŠāļļāļāļāđāļ§āļĒ
āļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāđāļĢāļ·āđāļāļāļĢāļēāļ§āđāļŦāđāļĄāļĩāļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāļāļēāļāļĒāđāļēāļāļĒāļąāđāļāļĒāļ·āļ sustainable development goal āđāļŦāđāđāļāļīāļ health and well being āļāļēāļĄ SDG 3 āļŠāļģāļŦāļĢāļąāļāļŠāļąāļāļāļĄāļāļđāđāļŠāļđāļāļāļēāļĒāļļāļāļąāđāļ āļāđāļāļāļāļēāļĢāļāļēāļĢāļĢāđāļ§āļĄāļĄāļ·āļāļāļđāļĢāļāļēāļāļēāļĢāđāļĨāļ°āļāļĨāļąāļāļāļąāļāļāļĒāđāļēāļāļĒāļīāđāļ āļāļąāđāļāļāđāļĒāļāļēāļĒāļāļĢāļ°āļāļēāļāļĢ āļāđāļĒāļāļēāļĒāļāļēāļāļāļēāļĢāđāļāļīāļ āļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāļŠāļ§āļąāļŠāļāļīāļāļēāļĢ āļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāļāļēāļĢāļŠāļļāļāļ āļēāļ āļāļēāļĢāļāļąāļāļāļēāļĢāļŠāļīāđāļāđāļ§āļāļĨāđāļāļĄāđāļĨāļ°āļāļ§āļēāļĄāļāļĨāļāļāļ āļąāļĒ
13. Deaths from Extreme Weather Events 1970-2008: Example South East Asia Impacts not equally distributed by country or type of extreme event. Nearly 800,000 reported deaths. Storm mortality 84% of total. EMDAT, 2008
14. Mortality from Extreme Weather: Example South East Asia Bangladesh is the key to mortality impacts to SEARO from extreme weather events EMDAT, 2008
15. Health Impacts by Type of Extreme Event: Example South East Asia This graph highlights the relative importance of storms EMDAT, 2008
16.
17. Distribution of Health Impacts by Event: U.S. Hurricane Deaths U.S. hurricane death totals are driven by single storm impacts Deaths per year from hurricanes Mills, 2009
18.
19.
20. Cartogram Baseline Now: World Population in 2000 Countriesâ areas are re-weighted according to the size of its population: note India and China Worldmapper, 2008a
21. Relative Importance of Floods in SEARO as a Mortality Risk Worldmapper, 2008d SEARO historically vulnerable to flooding. Note increased size of India and Bangladesh.
22. Smoke from Forest and Agricultural Fires in 2006 Mongabay.com, 2006 Fire from smoke results in degraded air quality in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
23.
24.
25. Examples of Adaptation to Extreme Weather Events Following devastating cyclones Bangladesh has begun constructing cyclone shelters to keep vulnerable residents safe Pitchford, 2008
This slide summarizes the topics this module will address. The module moves to a consideration of the potential health impact attributable to climate change from changes in the frequency/severity of extreme weather events in stages. First the module summarizes how these events threaten public health and reviews the magnitude of past public health impacts from these events. Factors other than climate change that influence the health impacts of these events are reviewed before considering the anticipated changes in risk from these events that may be attributable to climate change and whether/how adaptation could help limit any future anticipated increase in associated health impacts.
Countries in the South East Asia region with low-lying islands, extended coastal areas, mountains and large river basins have a history of experiencing a wide range of extreme weather events.
The first cyclone of the 2008 season in the northern Indian Ocean was a devastating one for Myanmar. The category 4 cyclone killed more than 84,530 persons and over 53,000 were reported missing. In the areas affected, two-thirds of health facilities suffered some damage. One out of five was totally destroyed. Most of them were small, rural primary care centres. The estimated cost for rebuilding health facilities was estimated at US$2 billion. After the cyclone, 60% of people had no access to clean water as traditional sources of water in villages became contaminated with seawater. In addition, many water sources became polluted due to the breakdown of sanitation facilities in the flooded areas The average reported number of deaths per household was 2.2 whereby 66% of the victims were women. The most significant health need was support for psychological stress: 23% of people reported psychological problems after the cyclone.
This is an example of a relatively common type of photo in Bangladesh with residents trying to cope with either floods or cyclone-related flooding. The frequency of this type of impact from extreme weather events does not diminish from its direct and indirect health risks. In particular, this type of flooding challenges water purification and delivery systems, creates sanitation problems, and severely hampers the provision of aid.
While countries in South East Asia experience a wide range of extreme weather events there is a smaller group of these events that has had and will likely continue to have a disproportionate health impact and be a focus of research and adaptation efforts focused on understanding and controlling public health risks and impacts. This group includes cyclones, extreme precipitation/floods, wildfires and thermal extremes (addressed in a separate presentation).
The health impacts of an extreme event are not defined by mere occurrence of an event. Instead, they are determined to a large extent by physical factors that define the event and how it is experienced by exposed populations. In addition, while there may be general differences in these factors between categories of extreme weather events, the differences between individual events are equally important in evaluating the source and nature or the associated health risks and impacts. In short, from a public health perspective, not all extreme weather events are equal.
This slide presents trends in the number of all disasters compared to earthquakes and then the number of floods and cyclones combined compared to earthquakes. Earthquakes are not sensitive to climate change so the increase in all disasters and floods and cyclones relative to earthquakes is suggestive that climate change may play some role in the increase. This is not conclusive, as noted in the text for the figures changes in reporting non-earthquake disasters may also play a role, but another indication of potential increased future risk as a result of climate change.
In addition to the importance of physical characteristics, an eventâs public health risk and impact is shaped by the characteristics of the affected population. In general, any characteristic that limits the ability of individuals or communities to respond to or prepare for an extreme eventâs conditions will increase public health risks. In addition, the chance for large numbers of adverse health impacts clearly will increase with the size of the exposed population exposed, all else equal. Wealth is an especially important social factors to address because it can affect exposure conditions and duration during and after the event (e.g., presence of floodwaters with a cyclone). In addition wealth clearly affects individualâs and communities access/ability to redirect resources to address adverse conditions.
Direct health impacts of an extreme event are characterized by the outcomes that are clearly attributable to the event itself (e.g., drowning from a cyclone). These impacts typically provide the information that is subsequently used to describe the event (e.g., so many dead and so many hospitalized). Mental health impacts of extreme weather events are increasingly being recognized as a significant category of direct health impacts.
Indirect health impacts result from the conditions left behind from the extreme weather event. Most importantly, these can be health impacts associated with a loss of shelter and loss of access to food and clean sources of water. One could argue about the criteria for distinguishing between direct and indirect effects for any category of extreme weather events or for a specific event. However, the more important point is that these additional types of âfollow-onâ impacts not be overlooked when considering the public health burden of an individual extreme weather event or category of events or in preparing for future events.
This slide highlights some key issues to remember as the focus of the module shifts to evaluating current and potential future health impacts of extreme weather events in South East Asia. Most importantly, extreme weather events are already a fact of life in countries of South East Asia. The region regularly experiences a wide range of these events and has a history of them resulting in catastrophic health impacts. The module will typically present data that focuses on lives lost in these events. However, this is only one component of the health impact of these events as they typically also have an even larger morbidity impact in terms of the number of people affected. Finally, in reviewing the information it will be important to remember that not all extreme weather events have the same health impact and to try and understand what role specific notable events play in influencing impacts that are presented as either a total or average over time. Each of these points will be emphasized in following slides.
These results, developed using data from the EMDAT database (EMDAT, 2008) highlight several important elements about the health impacts, as reflected by reported deaths, from extreme weather events in South East Asia. The main conclusions from this data are: The region has a high vulnerability to extreme weather events based on estimates of associated mortality The mortality impacts are not evenly distributed across the types of events or across countries even when differences in population are accounted for Storms and floods account for the vast majority of the reported mortality.
This slide presents a summary of the data from the previous slide showing the extreme weather event related mortality from 1970-2008 by country. Based on this period, Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar would be highlighted as countries with the highest vulnerability to extreme weather events within this group. However, it is worth noting that because of the relative magnitude of the impacts in these countries in other countries in South East Asia appear in this figure as though they have had no impacts when in most cases the total mortality from these events over this period is reported in terms of thousands of deaths (Bhutan and Timor Leste excluded). Finally, it is worth noting that Myanmarâs relative importance in this figure is solely the result of cyclone Nargis in 2008 which is estimated to be responsible for over 138,000 deaths. This highlights the earlier discussion of the importance of single events in summarizing the health impacts of extreme weather events and raises a âwho might be nextâ question for the countries in the region.
This is yet another presentation of the earlier summary data on lives lost to extreme weather events in countries of in South East Asia from 1970-2008. This slide focuses on the distribution of the lives lost in the region during this period according to the type of event. The slide highlights the clear domination of this impact data by storm events followed by floods and then extreme temperatures. These three categories of events all have clear ties to physical processes that raise the possibility of increased frequency and/or severity of future events as a result of climate change. Specifically, storms are linked to warming sea surface temperatures, floods to increased evaporation and ultimately precipitation as a result of warmer temperatures, and extreme high temperature events with the anticipated warming.
The goal of this slide is to again draw attention to the fact that health impacts from extreme weather events are highly variable over time and may have only a weak correlation with the absolute intensity of an event. More generally this observance highlights that any estimates of future health impacts from extreme weather events are likely to be highly uncertain because of all the non-meteorological factors that affect health impact totals and the importance of single events in summaries of impacts over time.
An example of how understanding the actual data on health impacts provides greater context when summary or âaverageâ figures are presented. In this slide, showing deaths from hurricanes with U.S. landfalls from the year 1900 and the period 1940-2007 there are two significant years, 1900 and 2005, when total deaths are in excess of 2,000 (note the logarithmic y-axis scale). In all other years the totals are greatly lower. These two years dominate estimates of averages and reported totals. Even these data partially obscure the impact of single events though because mortality is summed across all events within a year. In some cases totals represent relatively small impacts across a number of events. At the extreme, the value shown for 1900 of 8,000 lives lost is solely for the hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas. The main conclusion from this example is that within the category of extreme weather events there is not all events are equal in terms of their health risks and impacts and that there is a further subset of events that drive health impact results.
This slide highlights the importance of single events in the mortality data for extreme weather events in the countries of in South East Asia. The goal of this slide is to consider the factors that contributed to the high mortality totals from these discrete events in relation to predicted trends both for the underlying extreme weather events and for the vulnerable populations when considering the potential future impact of these events that would be attributable to climate change.
Cartograms provide one option for visually presenting the distribution of a variable of interest over multiple countries. Specifics of the methods and approaches used in the cartograms on the following slides are available from the WorldMapper website (see http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html).
This cartogram provides a current impacts baseline for consideration as it reweights country areas based on the size of their populations. For the South East Asia region note the size of India and Bangladesh compared to traditional land area-based maps. For an overall sense of how cartograms function compare the areas of China and Russia compared to a traditional land-mass based presentation.
This cartogram has reweighted country sizes based on data for flood related deaths. For contrast compare the flooding results for India, Bangladesh, and the United States with the population weighted areas on the previous slide. These results highlight that several in countries of South East Asia are highly vulnerable to flooding.
Smoke from agricultural and forest fires burning on Sumatra (left) and Borneo (right) in late September and early October 2006 blanketed a wide region with smoke that interrupted air and highway travel and pushed air quality to unhealthy levels. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAâs Aqua satellite on October 1, 2006, shows places where MODIS detected actively burning fires marked in red. Smoke spreads in a gray-white pall to the north. As a result of these fires, air quality was degraded across the region including SEARO members Thailand and Malaysia. This degraded air quality also provides an example of how extreme weather events can have indirect health impacts far from and/or long after the events themselves end.
This slide again highlights that climate change-based predictions about the nature of future extreme events are only part of the information that is needed to accurately estimate the associated change in future health impacts. More specifically, while some socio-demographic changes over time can be forecast with some precision (e.g., populations, age distribution) others are much more difficult to predict (e.g., health status, wealth) and these factors are critical to health impact estimation. In particular, because the poor most often bear a disproportionate share of health impacts relevant questions will include how many poor are there, where are they located, and what is their standard of living. The last is particularly important noting that poverty can be based on both relative and absolute measures and that improving the quality of life of the poor over time may also provide health benefits. The role of adaptation must also be recognized and accounted for in predicting future health outcomes. The difficulty with this element is in drawing conclusions about what the pressure for adaptation will be, how much of that demand may be driven by climate change, and how effective any adaptive responses will be in addressing future extreme weather events.
Because extreme weather events are already a part of life in countries of in South East Asia climate change will not be introducing a new category of health risks to the regionâs populations. In addition, the historical variation in the frequency and intensity of these events means that while it may be possible to identify marginal changes in the characteristics of these events that can be attributed to climate change. However this variation makes it extremely unlikely that researchers will be able review a series of events over time and say that any one was solely attributable to climate change. The implications of this complicate identifying the marginal health impacts of climate change on these events based on a history of impacts where totals are skewed to individual events and the elements of where an event occurs and who experiences it are as important to determining health impacts as the actual physical characteristics of the event itself.
This highlights an adaptive response to a health risk of extreme weather events, building shelters. These shelters have been extremely successful in helping to limit deaths from cyclones following their construction. This highlights the possibility for adaptation to both reduce the vulnerability of at-risk populations and to limit the number and severity of adverse health impacts from extreme weather events. However, this picture also highlights how the effectiveness of adaptive measures can be constrained by available resources as it was noted that while the shelter can hold 400 it is located a town of 15,000. In this case, if everyone at risk from the event assumes they can utilize the shelter risks from future events could actually be increased if other options for reducing exposure are ignored.
Developing effective adaptive responses for extreme weather events requires vulnerable populations to understand the nature of the health risks they face. To the extent response plans are developed/modified for these events as a result of climate change they need to be carefully considered and address the full suite of potential health impacts of the events. Health authorities would benefit much form coordinating action with Red Crescent/Red Cross and other engaged disaster assistance organizations.
Effective notification and response plans should be viewed as ever-evolving plans that attempt to respond to changing conditions while drawing on lessons learned from past experience and practices. With clearly defined objectives these plans also can allow for flexible execution of tasks during actual events. This allows for the main objective, protection of public health, to be continuously pursued while recognizing and accounting for unanticipated changes in actual conditions. Finally, there should be a clear means for receiving, accepting, and implementing, offers of outside assistance during extreme events as these offers may help address critical resource constraints and improve public health.
This photo shows Thai air force personnel loading a C130 military transport aircraft with aid following cyclone Nargis. Outside assistance may provide critical resources that can help significantly improve public health following an extreme weather event.
This slide notes that while extreme weather events are already an element of living in SEA region countries climate change has the potential to increase the overall risk of those events by increasing their frequency and/or severity. Further, this risk should be recognized while understanding that natural variability is likely to limit the ability to specifically identify marginal changes in any one event or identification of a specific event as a âclimate change inducedâ event.
Predicting net health impacts from changes in future extreme events attributable to climate change is, and will continue to be, extremely difficult because of the need to simultaneously account for multiple factors that are related to varying degrees. This difficulty also reflects the current situation where the health impacts of these events over time are driven largely by single events. The ability to predict this subset of truly catastrophic extreme weather events has not yet been developed.
Climate change will increase the risk from extreme weather events in countries of South East Asia. Addressing this change in risk proactively should be seen as a priority because of the uncertainty over future impacts and the history of catastrophic events in the recent past. Recommended reading: 2007 IPCC reports: The Physical Science Basis, FAQ 3.3 page 107 and FAQ 9.1 p 119