Climate change and health

Abstract

As editors of Public Health, we often publish on topics that are of interest to a wider readership than the traditional public-health community, especially because we have become increasingly aware that the public-health agenda is now a central concern of a wider range of professionals. Among this group are those people whose work clearly affects the health of populations—eg, those who are involved in the sustainable development movement. At last year's UK Public Health Association's Annual Forum, Porritt 1 Porritt J Healthy environment—healthy people: the links between sustainable development and health. Public Health. 2005; 119: 952-953 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar showed that public health is integral to the sustainable development agenda, with what he called “blindingly obvious” examples. For instance, hospital food is generally bad but “good” hospital food is good for patients; so more effective hospital catering and procurement policies would result in more nutritious hospital food. Such policies would be good for the care of patients, and benefit staff and visitors. The UK's National Health Service could use its power as one of the country's largest food purchasers to encourage local and sustainable food production and to promote sound agricultural practices. Porritt extended the hand of partnership of the sustainable development movement to the public-health community, which should be grasped enthusiastically by policymakers and activists alike. 2 Sim F Mackie P The challenge of mainstreaming public health delivery. Public Health. 2005; 119: 947-948 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (2) Google Scholar Climate change and human health: impacts, vulnerability, and mitigationIt is now widely accepted that climate change is occurring as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere arising from the combustion of fossil fuels. Climate change may affect health through a range of pathways—eg, as a result of increased frequency and intensity of heat waves, reduction in cold-related deaths, increased floods and droughts, changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases, and effects on the risk of disasters and malnutrition. The overall balance of effects on health is likely to be negative and populations in low-income countries are likely to be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects. Full-Text PDF