Climate Change and Children’s Health Katherine M. Shea MD, MPH Children First: Promoting Ecological Health for the Whole Child 1 October 2010 San Francisco, California

Immediate Health Effects Direct ↑Heat Related Illness and Death ↓ Cold Related Deaths ↑Injury, Death and Disease from Extreme Weather Events Indirect ↑Air Pollution Related Illness/Deaths ↑Water-borne Diseases ↑Food-borne Diseases ↑Vector-borne Illness

What is most likely?

Children Disproportionately Affected at Global Level 40% of global burden of environmental disease falls on children under 5 years old (~ 10% of the world population) ( 150,000 deaths, 5.5 m DALYs per year lost due to climate change since % of burden into future borne by children in poor, low latitude countries Haines, Public Health 2006;129:580 Resource Depletion, Victor Cauduro Rojas

Long-Term Health Effects Long-Term Health Effects Children Inherit Societies of OUR Building Initially Poor Children Suffer Disproportionately –Ultimately  “One World, One People” WHAT IS THEIR FUTURE? Food and Water Insecurity Loss of Biological Capital Forced Migration –Sea level rise –Drought –Lack of Natural Resources Reduced Economic Capacity Depression, Violence Deforestation Rojas Hatred and Violence

Simultaneous and Urgent Action GOAL – ADAPT “Manage the Unavoidable” –Public Health Infrastructure –Focus on vulnerable groups and local conditions GOAL – MITIGATE “Avoid the Unmanageable” –Dramatic sea level rise & massive extinctions –Limit temperature rise to 1 (?2) o C above preindustrial levels –Reduce atmospheric CO 2 to 350 ppm “Individual and collective actions can succeed” Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Chair IPCC

Adaptation – no choice! Humans throughout history have “cheated the system” with technology –Heat is stored in the system CC adaptation will include –Regional specificity –Built environment –Social and political systems changes –Surveillance and public health systems –Medications and individual health care –Education and behavior change Energy choice – vicious cycles likelyEnergy choice – vicious cycles likely

Make Individual Changes In our personal livesIn our personal lives –Calculate your carbon/ecological footprint –Work on reducing it and tell the story In our professional livesIn our professional lives –Form a footprint reduction committee/plan –Educate peers, administrators, clients, customers In our political livesIn our political lives –Speak out, write LTE, demonstrate, VOTE –Get involved, run for office, demand change

Change in Community with Others

Find the Win-Win Choices: USA “Burn calories instead of carbon”“Burn calories instead of carbon” –More active transport cleans the air and fights obesity (muscle power is carbon neutral - on the right diet) Social time instead of “screen” timeSocial time instead of “screen” time –More interactive family and group time combats isolation and depression Eat fresh, local and lower on the food chainEat fresh, local and lower on the food chain –Supports local farms/economy, improved nutritional quality, lower risk of chronic diseases Energy efficient homes and offices save moneyEnergy efficient homes and offices save money –Wealth supports health

Health Co-Benefits of Mitigation Fossil Fuel Use Preserve Forest Sinks Urban Heat Island Sustainable Urban Design Improve Mass Transit CVD Respiratory Diseases Obesity- Related Mental Health Infectious Diseases very good evidence, ++ good evidence, + some evidence Patz AnnRevPubH

What are we DOING to Restore the Future? Our Legacy Our Legacy, by Victor Cauduro Rojas, from The Millennium Series

Photo Credits –The Millennium Series by Victor Cauduro Rojas is owned by Global Environment and Technology Foundation which has kindly allowed me to use images for this webcast. –The Millennium Series by Victor Cauduro Rojas is owned by Global Environment and Technology Foundation which has kindly allowed me to use images for this webcast. –Earth Observatory, NASA, USGS (Phillip J. Redman), NPS, JPL, EPA