PPN 302 Class 12- Towards a future of global and planetary health

UN climate conference

• Adaption Finance

• Phase out fossil fuels 

• Forest and indigenous rights 

• Just transition 

• Commitment to climate justice 

• Limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7F) to pre pre-industrial times 

How climate affects human health

• Direct impacts

• Indirect impacts through natural systems

  • Airways and diseases and allergies

  • Food and water-borne diseases

  • vector-borne diseases

• Indirect impacts through socioeconomic systems

  • Food and water insecurity and under nutrition

  • Occupational health and vulnerable populations

  • Forced displacements, mental illnesses and stress

Direct impacts  (how climate affects human health)

• Increased frequency & intensity of heat waves. Excessive heat-related mortality and heat exhaustion 

• Aggravated cardio, circulatory, respiratory, and kidney diseases

• Indigenous people suffer the most

• Health losses caused by disasters such as storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods 

Airway diseases and allergies (indirect natural systems impacts of climate change on health)

• Respiratory diseases are exacerbated due to exposure to aeroallergens 

• Increased cardiopulmonary death due to high particle matter and atmospheric levels of toxic ozone

Food and water-borne diseases  (indirect natural systems impacts of climate change on health)

• Projected an 8-11% increase of diarrhea in the tropics and subtropics in 2039

• Accelerated microbial growth, survival, persistence, and transmission of the pathogen 

• Shifting geographic and seasonal distribution e.g cholera, schistosomiasis, and harmful algal bloom 

vector-borne diseases (indirect natural systems impacts of climate change on health)

• Warmer climate increased the reproduction rate, resilience and distribution of diseases

Food and water insecurity and under nutrition (indirect socioeconomic impacts of climate change on health)

• Increased risk of undernutrition resulting from lower food production (especially in the tropics and food access) 

• Combined effects of undernutrition and infectious diseases

• Chronic effects of stunting and wasting children 

Occupational health and vulnerable populations (indirect socioeconomic impacts of climate change on health)

• Risk of heat exhaustion, cardiac arrest and more frequent work accidents for outdoor and unprotected workers. Loss of work capacity and reduced labour productivity are also expected

• At the most risk are elders, children, and people living in poor environments, and indigenous and traditional populations

Forced displacements, mental illnesses and stress(indirect socioeconomic impacts of climate change on health)

• Increase stress on all those who are already mentally ill, create sufficient stress for some, such as severe anxiety reactions, depression, aggression, and complex psychopathology; sense of loss

Impact of climate change on human health 

• Rising temperatures

  • Severe weather

  • Extreme heat

• More extreme weather

  • Air pollution

  • Changes in vector ecology

• Rising sea levels

  • Increasing allergens

  • Water quality impacts

• Increasing CO2 levels 

  • Environmental degradation

  • Water and food supply impacts

Severe weather (health impact of rising temps)

• Injuries

• Fatalities

• mental health impacts

Extreme heat (health impact of rising temps)

• Heat-related illness and death

• cardiovascular failure 

Air pollution (health impacts of extreme weather)

• Asthma 

• Cardiovascular disease

Changes in vector ecology (health impacts of extreme weather)

• Malaria

• Dengue

• Encephalitis

• Hantavirus Rift Valley fever

• Lyme disease 

• Chikungunya 

• West Nile virus

Increasing allergens (health impacts of rising sea levels)

• Respiratory allergies 

• Asthma

Water quality impacts (health impacts of rising sea levels)

• Cholera

• Cryptosporidiosis- parasitic intestinal illness 

• Campylobacter- bacteria that cause diarrhea 

• Leptospirosis-  blood infection from bacteria 

• Harmful algal blooms

Environmental degradation (health impacts of increasing co2 levels)

• Malnutrition 

• Diarrheal disease

Water and food supply impacts (health impacts of increasing co2 levels)

• Forced migration 

• Civil conflict 

• Mental health impacts 

 Greater environmental impact on marginalized communities 

• Indigenous communities 

  • Warm temperatures threaten: 

    • Food safety/insecurity

    •   Drinking water supplies 

    • Water and ice safety 

      • Warming of the Arctic region 

      • Rising sea levels 

      • Erosion of coastines 

    • availability of traditional medicine 

    • Stability of infrastructure 

environmental effect on Developing regions of the world

• Draught

• Locust invasion 

• Food insecurity-famine

• Extreme hunger

• Malnutrition 

• Poverty/daily life disruption 

• Migration 

• Conflict and instability 

• Worse health outcome and child development 

Urban heat island effect

• Ozone pollution 

• Poor air quality 

• Extreme heat in summer

• Increased use of energy 

• Change rainfall patterns 

• Increased air pollution 

Greening of cities

• Improve air quality

• Reduce urban heat island effect 

• Extreme heat in summer 

• Increase energy consumption  

• Improve habitat and biodiversity 

• Aesthetics and health

Nursing education: the ecological planetary health model (Strategies)

• Adaptation 

• Mitigation 

• Resilience 

• Adaptation 

 Nursing education: the ecological model levels acted on 

• Individual 

• Family 

• Community 

• region/nation 

• International 

• planetary/earth 

The future will ask, what did you do? - Butterflied et al, 2021

• Put equity, justice, and morality front and centre

• Call for health equity agendas to be central to climate actions

• Aim to achieve the sustainable development goals for all nations

• Value ecosystems to protect biodiversity

• Endorse an intercultural approach in indigenous areas to guarantee the right to health and a healthy environment

• Recognize the role of climate change in the lives of all people on earth, with disproportionate effect on the poor

• Expose corporate greed and governmental corruption as primary causes of climate change

• Advocate for healthy communities to ensure active transportation, green energy, and healthy, sustainable food options for all