Climate Change and Health: International Perspective

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Climate Change and Health International
Perspective
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Learning Objectives

• Players on the world stage
• Initiatives to tackle emissions
• Political challenges
• Why the health sector?
• What can the health sector do?

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Players on the World Stage

• United Nations Global association of governments
  facilitating cooperation in international law,
  security, economic development, and social equity
• World Meteorological Organisation United
  Nations' authoritative voice on weather, climate
  and water
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  assesses the scientific, technical and
  socio-economic information relevant for the
  understanding of the risk of human-induced
  climate change
• World Health Organisation United Nations public
  health arm. Monitors disease outbreaks, assesses
  the performance of health systems around the
  globe.

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International Initiatives to Reduce Emissions

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change sets
  an overall framework for intergovernmental
  efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate
  change
• Kyoto Protocol an agreement linked to UNFCC -
  sets binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas
  emissions. National cuts in emissions can be
  supplemented by
• Emissions Trading allows countries to sell any
  unused permits to other countries that are over
  their targets
• Clean Development Mechanism allows a country
  with a commitment to reduce emissions to
  implement an emission-reduction project in a
  developing country
• Joint Implementation allows a country with a
  commitment to reduce emissions to implement an
  emission-reduction project in another country
  which also has a commitment to reduce emissions

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We are running out of time!

• The Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
• Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen Dec 2009
  the parties of the UNFCCC meet for the last time
  on government level before the climate agreement
  needs to be renewed.

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Climate NegotiationsEnvironment v Politics

• There is an urgent need to reverse the trend of
  rising CO2 emissions
• Despite this need there is no certainty that the
  Copenhagen Conference will result in an binding
  commitment to reduce emissions
• In particular some developing countries are
  reluctant to agree to caps on emissions

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Climate NegotiationsPolitical challenges

• Credit Crunch
• Energy needs / economic development model of
  Developing World
• Voter engagement climate policies seldom
  determine election success
• Business engagement
• Complexity of issues
• Long term v short term

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Climate NegotiationsPolitical opportunities

• Obama Effect
• Green New Deal
• Green Jobs
• Investment in low/zero carbon technology

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Carbon reductionOptions

• Massive reduction in consumption of energy
• Massive behavioural change
• Massive switch to renewable energy
• Massive investment in new low/zero carbon
  technology

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Climate NegotiationsWhy the health sector?

• Climate change is a threat to health
• Heatwaves/Floods/Droughts
• Vector borne disease eg Malaria, Dengue
• Malnutrition/Diarrhoea
• Injury and death through conflicts over scarce
  resources
• Stress/lack of food/lack of water/disease caused
  by migration

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Climate NegotiationsWhy the health sector? (2)

• Can take the long view
• Understands the science
• Other health initiatives will be overtaken by the
  effects of climate change
• Action on climate change has health effects
  itself
• Positive (health co-benefits)
• Negative

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Health effectsof action on climate change

• CAN YOU
• SUGGEST SOME
• Positive effects?
• Negative effects?

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Health effectsof action on climate change

• More physical activity improved quality of life,
  reduction in obesity, heart disease, stroke,
  diabetes, road deaths plus reduced travel
  emissions
• Reduced meat/dairy consumption and increased
  consumption of local seasonal vegetables
  reduction in cancer, obesity, heart disease
  plus reduction in CO2 and methane emissions
• Improved insulation reduced winter mortality,
  asthma and other respiratory complaints plus
  less energy used for heating

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Health effectsof action on climate change

• Carbon Taxes exacerbate health inequalities?
• Carbon Quotas/Trading redistributive of wealth
  (but could they provide an incentive for
  population growth?)

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What is the health sector doing internationally
on climate change?

• IPCC working group (summarises impacts on human
  health feeds into Assessment Reports)
• World Health Organisation
• Climate and Health Council

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Climate Change and Health Professionals The
Global Perspective
Climate Connection Launch December 2008

• Maria Neira,Director,Public Health and
  Environment DepartmentWorld Health
  Organization,Geneva

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Why the response needs to be global
Cumulative emissions of greenhouse gases, to 2002
WHO estimates of per capita mortality from
climate change, 2000
Map projections from Patz et al, Ecohealth 2007.
WHO Comparative Risk Assessment estimated that
by 2000, climate change that had occurred since
the 1970s was causing over 150,000 additional
deaths per year (WHO, 2002, McMichael et al 2004)
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Sixty-First World Health Assembly May 2008 New
resolution on climate change and health adopted
unanimously by 193 Nations
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Main objectives for international public health

• Raising awareness of the health implications of
  climate change
• 2) Strengthening partnerships to place health at
  the centre of climate change policy
• 3) Generating evidence on the health effects of
  adaptation and mitigation policies
• 4) Strengthening public health systems to cope
  with additional threats posed by climate change

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1. Raising awareness
With impoverished populations in the developing
world the first and hardest hit, climate change
is very likely to increase the number of
preventable deaths. The gaps in health outcomes
we are trying so hard to address right now may
grow even greater. This is unacceptable. Climate
change and health preparing for unprecedented
challenges. WHO Director General Margaret
Chan. December, 2007

• Climate change hurts
• World Health Day 2008 Protecting health from
  climate change.
• www.who.int/world-health-day/en/

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2. Partnerships to raise the profile of health in
climate change policy

• Why health should be central
• Main reasons for concern (e.g. disasters, food
  shortage, displacement, disease) are health and
  wellbeing issues
• Most energy and environment decisions (e.g.
  choice, use of fuel sources) have major direct
  health implications

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3. Providing Evidence Health Adaptation

• Describing risks from national to global level
• Measuring the effectiveness of interventions
• Evaluating health effects from decisions in other
  sectors
• Improving decision-support tools
• Assessing the financial costs

Protection of handwashing against diarrhoea,
highlighting studies in water-stressed
situations. Adapted from Curtis V, Cairncross S.
2003 Lancet Inf Dis 3275-281
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3. Providing Evidence Improving health while
reducing greenhouse gas emissions
"Health benefits from reduced air pollution as a
result of actions to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions may offset a substantial fraction of
mitigation costs" IPCC, 2007 We have an
opportunity to reduce - The 800,000 annual
deaths from urban air pollution, and the 1.6
million from indoor air pollution - The loss of
1.9 million lives, and 19 million years of
healthy life, from physical inactivity - The 1.2
million deaths and over 50 million injuries from
road traffic accidents

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4. Strengthening public health systems

Much of "adaptation" is basic, preventive public
health Improved surveillance and response E.g.
heatwave warnings, compliance with International
Health Regulations to prevent international
spread of disease. Better management of
environmental health determinants Provision of
safe water and sanitation, control of air
pollution

• Strengthened action on diseases of poverty
  Including wider coverage with vector control and
  vaccination programmes.

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What is the health sector doing internationally
on climate change?

• IPCC working group (summarises impacts on human
  health feeds into Assessment Reports)
• World Health Organisation
• Climate and Health Council

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The Climate and Health Council

• Our aim is to mobilise health professionals
  across the world to take action to limit climate
  change
• Pledge aiming hundreds of thousands of
  signatures from health professionals by
  Copenhagen (Nov 2009)
• Co-benefits report

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What can the UK public health community do
internationally?

• Raising awareness
• Partnerships raising profile of health climate
  change
• Generating evidence
• Health adaptation
• Improving health through mitigation (co-benefits)
• Strengthening health systems

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World Health Organisationwww.who.int/globalchange
/climate/en

• Getinformed

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Climate and Health Councilwww.climateandhealth.or
g

• Sign the declaration and contribute to the five
  actions

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The Climate Connectionwww.theclimateconnection.or
g

• Build partnerships, share evidence, experience
  and ideas

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Summary

• 2009 is a crucial year for international
  negotiations on climate change with the
  Copenhagen post-Kyoto negotiations in December.
  Public health has an important contribution
• advocacy for radical action
• communicate value of co-benefits
• advise on health impacts of adaptation
  mitigation policies

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The Climate Connection is a partnership for
public health action on climate change
The Climate Connection, c/o UKPHA, 94 White Lion
St, London N1 9PF UKPHA registered charity number
1078147 www.theclimateconnection.org