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A.J. McMichael National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health The Australian National University Canberra, Australia Climate Change and Human Health A wide-scope overview
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Glacier loss, sea- level rise Nutrition: child devt, adult health Ecosystem damage Property loss Infra- structure damage Reduced food yields Tourism and recreation Altered surface water Loss of jobs, livelihoods Direct economic impacts Climate change Mean conditions and Variability Physical hazards Fresh- water availability Food prices, choices Community morale: mental health disorders temperature and rainfall Microbial ecology (host-animals, vectors, pathogens) Hygiene; local food yield River flows, dams Infectious disease risks Post-event depression, etc. ~ Other systemic environmental changes – acting in concert with climate change Direct impacts risks of injury & death heatwaves, extreme weather events Displacement, Conflicts shortages, prices: competition Relocation, disruption Trauma, deaths …..
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Deaths Attributable to Climate Change in Year 2000 14 WHO statistical regions are, here, scaled by estimated annual mortality (in 2000) due to change in climate since ~1970. Selected causes of death. (Patz, Gibbs et al, 2007: based on McMichael, Campbell-Lendrum, et al, 2004) Estimated annual deaths due to climate change from: malnutrition (~80K), diarrhoea (~50K), malaria (~20K), flooding (~3K)
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60 days: 56,000 extra deaths in Moscow and Western Russia (Munich Re estimate) Approx 8 o C above normal http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110309_russianheatwave.html Temp o C Extreme Heat (and Smoke) in Western Russia, Summer 2010: human (and crop) impacts
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Baseline 2000 2025 2050 Ebi et al., 2005 Climate Change and Malaria Potential transmission in Zimbabwe Bulawayo Climate suitability:* red = high; blue/green = low High probability Medium probability Low probability Harare Highlands * Temperature + minimum seasonal rainfall
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Ebi et al., 2005 Bulawayo Harare Baseline 2000 2025 2050 Climate Change and Malaria Potential transmission in Zimbabwe Climate suitability: red = high; blue/green = low
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Ebi et al., 2005 Bulawayo Harare Baseline 2000 2025 2050 Climate Change and Malaria Potential transmission in Zimbabwe Climate suitability: red = high; blue/green = low
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Schistosomiasis: Modelled future impact of warming on Schistosoma japonicum transmission in China Source: Zhou et al., Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 Potential transmission zone now Zhou et al, 2008: “Recent data suggest that schistosomiasis is re- emerging in some settings [where previously good control]. …. “Along with other reasons, climate change and ecologic transformations have been suggested as the underlying causes.” 2030: + 0.9 o C 2050: + 1.6 o C Yang et al (2005): Northwards drift, over past 4 decades, of winter ‘freezing zone’ that limits water-snail survival – associated with a 1.0-1.5 o C temperature rise in SE China. This has put an extra 21 million people at risk.
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64 36 20 80 Percentage change in yields to 2050 -50 -20 0 +20 +50 +100 UN Devt Prog, 2009 Plus climate-related: Flood/storm/fire damage Droughts – range, severity Pests (climate-sensitive) Infectious diseases (ditto) CLIMATE CHANGE: Poor Countries Projected to Fare Worst MODELLED CHANGES IN CEREAL GRAIN YIELDS, TO 2050
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Modelled and child nutrition/underweight No. of additional deaths (1000s) Sub-Saharan Africa South Asia Climate change: impact on crop yields and child under-nutrition (< 5 yrs) as cause of increased risk of infectious disease: Model-forecast additional child deaths from infection to 2060 (excluding HIV/AIDS) Year Hughes et al., Bull WHO, 2011
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1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 War Fatality Index, Europe Nth Hemi- sphere Temp Variation o C Rate of Migrations, Europe European Temp Variation standardised units Cold Period 1570-1660 Zhang et al., PNAS, 2011 Coldest period, 1570-1660, in Europe during Little Ice Age: Relation to War and Displacement – as Food Yields Plummeted and Prices Rose
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Photo- synthetic activity 20 o C30 o C40 o C Food Yields: General Relationship of Temperature and Photosynthesis 0% 100% ∆ 2 o C
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Hsiang et al., Nature 2011 Affected (n= 93) Weakly affected (n= 82) New civil conflicts twice as likely to break out in El Niño years as in cooler La Niña years Annual Conflict Rate (% of countries with conflict) El Niño Index (NINO 3 ), o C (May-Dec average SST) Civil Conflicts, 1950-2004, in Countries Affected and Little Affected by ENSO
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And that’s All
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Summary Points Climate change is a major part of today's 'planetary overload' syndrome, due to escalating human pressures. It will progressively weaken Earth's life-support capacity. Beyond the evident health risks from increases in heatwaves, weather disasters and some infectious diseases are potentially greater climate-related threats to food yields and nutrition, to freshwater supplies, and to community morale, mental health and stability. Climate-related food shortages, starvation, epidemic outbreaks and associated social unrest endangers health, safety and survival – via conflict, warfare and displacement.
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