Climate change, human health and well-being in Yakutia

Abstract

The study was designed as a community survey conducted face-to-face with an in-person interview. The 145 subjects living in 8 rural settlements were reviewed. Data presented show that in total the most impressive changes are registered for the following signs: thinner ice on rivers, water and ice in rivers more muddy, the number of sunny days greater, more difficult to predict good weather and beginning of spring, rivers and sea covered with ice later, hunting, fishing, gathering mushrooms and berries is not so successful and quantity of mosquitoes is greater than it has been 5 years ago. Everyday activities of hunters, fishermen and herders living in Yakutia have changed during the last 5 years due to climate change. People living in the central part of Yakutia are affected to a greater extent, which is associated with faster warming. Those changes are supposed to be the sources of the problems with long-term and short-term weather forecast, difficulties to travel along tundra and forest, reindeer grazing, problems with fishing, hunting, gathering mushrooms and berries. Tendencies of infant mortality and morbidity in the studied regions are not associated with climate change and though the morbidity in Yakutia has a tendency to grow both in adults’ and in children’s populations mostly due to increase in prevalence of the diseases of the respiratory, circulatory and digestive system, this fact can hardly be associated with climate change.