[EQ] Climate Change Will Affect Public Health - A Call to Action

            Climate Change Will Affect Public Health – A Call to Action

Special Issue: Volume 35, Issue 5, Pages A1-A2, 401-538 -  November 2008

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

 

Website:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07493797

 

“……Extreme heat events (EHE), or heat waves, are the most prominent cause of weather-related human mortality in the United States, responsible for more deaths annually than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined. These events, and other climate-related changes in the worldwide environment that directly affect public health, are examined in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The papers in this special issue provide a crucial state-of-the art overview of many of the issues at the intersection of climate change and health.

 

Guest Editors — Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, and Jeremy J. Hess, MD, MPH, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; and Anthony J. McMichael, PhD, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra — and their colleagues issue a call to action. Dr. Frumkin observes that “a decade ago there was active debate about whether climate change was real, and whether human contributions have played a major causal role in the recently observed global warming. That debate is largely over, although the inherent complexities of climate system science and various uncertainties over details remain. A corollary question — whether climate change would have implications for public health — also has been settled. The answer is yes. A range of possible effects has been identified, some now fairly well understood and others yet unclear. …Public health and preventive medicine, as applied disciplines, share a common mission: to prevent illness, injury and premature mortality, and to promote health and well-being.

 

This mission therefore carries a mandate to address climate change. Fortunately, the basic concepts and tools of public health and preventive medicine provide a sound basis for addressing climate change…Climate change, an environmental health hazard of unprecedented scale and complexity, necessitates health professionals developing new ways of thinking, communicating, and acting. With regard to thinking, it requires addressing a far longer time frame than has been customary in health planning and it needs a systems approach that extends well beyond the current boundaries of the health sciences and the formal health sector.

 

Communicating about the risks posed by climate change requires messages that motivate constructive engagement and support wise policy choices, rather than engendering indifference, fear, or despair. Actions that address climate change should offer a range of health, environmental, economic and social benefits. The questions at present, then, are not so much whether or why, but what and how? What do we do to prevent injury, illness and suffering related to climate change, and how do we do it most effectively?”

 

This issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine offers a range of articles by a group of experts who helps answer these questions. Meanwhile, there also remains for health researchers the extremely important task of assisting society in understanding the current and future risks to health, as part of the information base for policy decisions about the mitigation of climate change itself….”

 

Content

 

1.	Editorial Board

 Introduction and Overview

2.	Climate Change and the Health of the Public Pages 401-402 Howard Frumkin, Anthony J. McMichael, Jeremy J. Hess  Preview   border=0 name=pdf>  PDF (41 K) |

 

3.	Climate Change and Public Health: Thinking, Communicating, Acting Pages 403-410 Howard Frumkin, Anthony J. McMichael  Preview   name=pdf> PDF (148 K) |

 Commentary

4.	Climate Change and Health: Strengthening the Evidence Base for Policy Pages 411-413 Andrew Haines  Preview   name=pdf> PDF (51 K) |

 

5.	Think Locally, Act Globally: How Curbing Global Warming Emissions Can Improve Local Public Health Pages 414-423 Michael R. Bloomberg, Rohit T. Aggarwala  Preview   name=pdf> PDF (397 K) |

 

6.	The Year 2008: A Breakthrough Year for Health Protection from Climate Change? Pages 424-425 Maria Neira, Roberto Bertollini, Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, David L. Heymann  Preview   name=pdf> PDF (44 K) |

 

7.	Climate Change, Health Sciences, and Education Pages 426-428 Robert S. Lawrence, Peter D. Saundry  Preview   PDF (51 K) |

 The Health Impacts of Climate Change

8.	Climate Change and Extreme Heat Events Pages 429-435 George Luber, Michael McGeehin  Preview   PDF (112 K) |

 

9.	Climate and Vectorborne Diseases Pages 436-450 Kenneth L. Gage, Thomas R. Burkot, Rebecca J. Eisen, Edward B. Hayes  Preview   PDF (203 K) |

 

10.	Climate Change and Waterborne Disease Risk in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. Pages 451-458 Jonathan A. Patz, Stephen J. Vavrus, Christopher K. Uejio, Sandra L. McLellan  Preview   PDF (295 K) |

 

11.	Climate Change, Air Quality, and Human Health Pages 459-467 Patrick L. Kinney  Preview   PDF (1441 K) |

 

12.	Climate Change: The Importance of Place Pages 468-478 Jeremy J. Hess, Josephine N. Malilay, Alan J. Parkinson  Preview   PDF (1228 K) |

 Behavioral and Public Communication Issues

13.	Public Perception of Climate Change: Voluntary Mitigation and Barriers to Behavior Change Pages 479-487 Jan C. Semenza, David E. Hall, Daniel J. Wilson, Brian D. Bontempo, David J. Sailor, Linda A. George  Preview   PDF (127 K) |

 

14.	Communication and Marketing As Climate Change–Intervention Assets: A Public Health Perspective Pages 488-500 Edward W. Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Anthony Leiserowitz  Preview   PDF (294 K) |

 Adaptation and Solutions

15.	Community-Based Adaptation to the Health Impacts of Climate Change Pages 501-507 Kristie L. Ebi, Jan C. Semenza  Preview   PDF (139 K) |

 

16.	Building Human Resilience: The Role of Public Health Preparedness and Response As an Adaptation to Climate Change Pages 508-516 Mark E. Keim  Preview   PDF (226 K) |

 

17.	The Built Environment, Climate Change, and Health: Opportunities for Co-Benefits Pages 517-526 Margalit Younger, Heather R. Morrow-Almeida, Stephen M. Vindigni, Andrew L. Dannenberg  Preview   PDF (177 K) |

 Global Health

18.	Climate Change: Impacts on and Implications for Global Health Pages 527-538 Michael E. St. Louis, Jeremy J. Hess  Preview   PDF (510 K) |

 

 

 

 

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