INTERNATIONAL MEDIA STUDIES - PRINT 1
THE CLIMATE CHANGE QUESTION
inWEnt/DW-Akademie- JUNE 2010
Climate change: A threat to human health? We often talk about climate change and all other topics but human health. Yet, climate change affects the fundamental requirements for health. Which organisations are involved in climate change and human health issues? What do experts say about it? by
C hristine Wa ndolo
S
itting at a cafe in the middle of Bonn the sun is pouring through the windows with an enthusiasm that seems to scream: ‘Enjoy me now, I may not come out tomorrow!’ As if in obedience I lean back and close my eyes, thinking, ‘he must be very right. The weather is nothing short of unpredictable in this city. Furthermore, the thought of last winter still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I may as well wipe away those memories right here, right now.’ Last winter 2009 was recorded as Europe’s coldest in 50 years, with Germany experiencing temperatures as low as -20ºC . Many deaths were reported. The effects of climate change on human health vary between countries, some being more vulnerable than others. People living in small islands or developing states are particularly vulnerable. International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP)
FOTO: SCIENTIST’S OWN
Out of the need for coordinated and integrated (interdisciplinary) research in the field, especially with regard to the tremendous problems that societies are facing today and in the future, the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) on Global Environmental Change (GEC) was formed. Located at the UN Campus in Bonn, it works toward understanding and addressing the effects of individuals and societies on global environmental change and its effect on humans. IHDP has a number of joint projects and the Global Environmental Change on Human Health
Dr. Lucilla Spini, 35, Project Officer for The Global Environmental Change on Human Health (GECHH).
UN PHOTO: SOPHIA PARIS
Obviously scary or scarily obvious. We find out
Water provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, hence Malaria. Poor sanitation in cities resulting from lack of rain due to climate change gives rise to spread of cholera and typhoid, among other diseases. In developing countries, when there is lack of water people often go to search for it in lakes, rivers, canals or freshwater pools. They may bath in it, and since water found here is often untreated, they are at risk of contaminating the most classical water disease, Bilharzia. A Cuban doctor administers a vaccination provided by the WHO for Haitians displaced by earthquake
Strategies to reduce risks
(GECHH) was the last one to be established in November 2006. It is integrated in the GEC research network and is a joint project of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) among four other Global Change Research Programmes (see link).
To reduce health risks, policies both at the local, national and international levels have to be employed in order to mitigate climate change at the source and adapt to already existing risks. We need a support system provided by health professionals and doctors in the global environmental change community. They could educate
Volunteering to make a change At the time the human health project was started, even at the scientific level there wasn’t much research going on. A fairly international group of scientists from different fields decided to devote their time, on voluntary basis to come together to discuss human health and global environmental change issues, including climate change. Due to the breadth of the topic the establishing process was a lengthy one. One of the most active experts on this project is Dr. Lucilla Spini who works with a steering committee made up of experts from different countries. They meet yearly and
“If we care we
can do it. We can make it if we all work in the same direction
”
work closely together with the Global Water System Project (GWSP), also located in Bonn. They are hosted by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Hamilton (Canada). Health Risks posed by climate change ‘There are different kinds of risks, some direct, others indirect’ quips Dr. Spini. ‘The main risks are caused by effects of heat waves and other extreme events like floods.’ As she speaks I cannot help but think about the 2003 heat wave in Europe that claimed over 70,000 lives and the Tsunami that
awoke the world to mourning during the Christmas Season in 2004. ‘Indirect processes or mediating processes refer to environmental changes that cause a health risk. If temperature rises there are more mosquitoes, and one is more likely to get malaria. Climate change effect is in this case not direct. It affects the surrounding. It impacts the mosquitoes,
mental refugees, and this has psychological and epidemiological implications’, she goes on. ‘There is an impact on the ecosystem and the burden of disease changes. Rural to urban migration induced by extreme weather conditions can lead to behavioural change which may lead to increase in infections like HIV/AIDS. Soon the population be-
1
Direct stresses / exposures
e.g. heatwaves, floods, fires
Changes to physical systems/processes e.g. urban-industrial air pollution; freshwater supply
Climate change
2 Mediating processes (indirect)
Changes to biological processes, timing
3 Social, economic, and demographic disruptions
Health impacts
e.g. mosquito numbers, range; photosynthesis crop yields
Changes to ecosystem structure and function e.g. fisheries (composition, productivity); natural constraints on microbes; nutrient cycles; forest productivity
Three main categories of health risks from climate change: From the Global Environmental Change and Human Health (2007) Science Plan and Implementation Strategy. Earth SystemSciencePartnership (DIVERSITAS, IGBP, IHDP, and WCRP) Report No.4; GECHH Report No.1
not the human population directly,’ she adds, as I think about my malaria prone home country. As if reading my mind, she goes on ‘if, for instance we take a malaria-prone country like Kenya, some parts of the country do not have malaria but increase in temperatures will make conditions favourable for mosquitoes to breed in a new location thus increase malaria risk.’ Changes to physical processes and ecosystem structure also cause indirect health risks (see diagram). There is an old African adage that says when two bulls fight; it is the grass that suffers. When all these direct and indirect processes ‘federalize’, human health is, inevitably, the grass. Social, economic and demographic disruptions ‘When people migrate in search of safer environments populations are displaced causing environ-
comes characterized by children and old people leading to psychological stress. How climate change affects the productivity of work has an effect on the economy. When the sun is too hot for example, people cannot work effectively. Scarcity of safe drinking water does not make the situation any better.’ At this point my mind wanders once more: back home not only scarcity is a problem, at times f loods make the roads impassable and sick people may end up dying because hospitals are out of reach. According to Prof. Janos Bogardi, Executive Officer of the Global Water System Project (GWSP), water and health are intimately linked together. Many human scourges are water borne and water transmitted, and bad quality of water is killer number one.
Contributors: Jonas Bogardi (GWCP), Jiska Gojowczyk, Falk Schmidt (IHDP), Lucilla Spini (GECHH).
the public on how climate change can affect their health. They could work towards preventing programmes, for example vaccines, mosquito control, food hygiene and inspection, and nutritional supplementation. Health professionals report any new trends they encounter. Scientists need to forecast future health risks based on mitigation and adaptation strategies. They need to work on having early warning systems
Prof. Janos Bogardi, Executive Officer of the Global Water System Project (GWSP)
f o r impending weather events so that the public can work towards improved housing designs and ur-
HEALTH RISKS POSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE Diarrhoeal disease kills 2.2 million people every year. Bilharzia affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Malaria kills almost 1 million people yearly – mainly African children under five years old. Urban air pollution causes about 1.2 million deaths every year. Skin cancer and immune system depression affects 1 to 2 billion people living in mid to high latitudes due to depletion of stratospheric ozone. Asthma affects about 300 million people. It is triggered by high levels of pollen caused by extreme heat. Cardiovascular and respiratory disease kills elderly people directly when there is extreme high air temperatures. Mental disorders and communicable diseases affect people when they are forced to move due to rising sea levels.More than half of the world’s population lives within 60 km of the sea.
ban planning, for example. ‘GECHH is trying to get the global environmental change community to work with the health professionals. If you separate the two, you are like covering wounds with plasters. You only cure the problem when they work together,’ relates Dr. Spini. There should be neighbourhood support schemes to protect the most vulnerable people. Climate proof housing designs should be considered, for example mosquito-proof houses. Media too, has a role to play By getting these issues in top policy agenda, the media can involve policy makers, students and the public at large. Media should be a major partner in decision making. Their coverage should be from an international perspective. To conclude she goes on ‘I am always positive on things’. ‘If we care we can do it. If we all work in the same direction we will make it. We can take the same measure to ensure health benefits and climate protection by taking the same measure. We need to be careful when we take measures to address climate change, though. We have to make sure that these measures don’t pose further health risks. We need to handle this issue in an urgent manner as time is not on our side.’ ♦www.ihdp.unu.edu ♦www.gechh.unu.edu ♦www.who.int