scholarly journals The impact of climate change on mental health (but will mental health be discussed at Copenhagen?)

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Page ◽  
L. M. Howard

Climate change will shortly be assuming centre stage when Copenhagen hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference in early December 2009. In Copenhagen, delegates will discuss the international response to climate change (i.e. the ongoing increase in the Earth's average surface temperature) and the meeting is widely viewed as the most important of its kind ever held (http://en.cop15.dk/). International agreement will be sought on a treaty to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. At the time of writing it is not known whether agreement will be reached on the main issues of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and financing the impacts of climate change, and it appears that the impact of climate change on mental health is unlikely to be on the agenda. We discuss here how climate change could have consequences for global mental health and consider the implications for future research and policy.

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Zeng ◽  
Ming-Guo Ma ◽  
Dong-Rui Di ◽  
Wei-Yu Shi

Separating the impact of climate change and human activities on runoff is an important topic in hydrology, and a large number of methods and theories have been widely used. In this paper, we review the current papers on separating the impacts of climate and human activities on runoff, summarize the progress of relevant research methods and applications in recent years, and discuss future research needs and directions.


Author(s):  
Mohamed Alboghdady ◽  
Salah E. El-Hendawy

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of climate change and variability on agricultural production in Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) where the deleterious impacts of climate change are generally projected to be greatest. Design/methodology/approach The study used a production function model using Fixed Effect Regression (FER) analysis and then using marginal impact analysis to assess the impact of climate change and variability on agricultural production. Therefore, the study utilized panel data for the period 1961-2009 pooled from 20 countries in MENA region. Findings Results showed that 1 per cent increase in temperature during winter resulted in 1.12 per cent decrease in agricultural production. It was also observed that 1 per cent increase in temperature variability during winter and spring resulted in 0.09 and 0.14 per cent decrease in agricultural production, respectively. Results also indicated that increasing precipitation during winter and fall season and precipitation variability during winter and summer seasons had negative impact. The estimated parameters of square temperature and precipitation indicated that climate change has significant nonlinear impacts on agricultural production in MENA region. Originality/value Despite there are many studies on the impact of climate change on agricultural production, there is a lack of publications to address the economic impact of both climate change and variability on agricultural production in MENA region. Thus, these results are more comprehensive and more informative to policymakers than the results from field trials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Abeer Mohammed Raafat Khalaf

Climate change is one of the significant and threatening problems worldwide. It has attracted the attention of scientists and politicians as well as writers and critics especially in the western world. Writers have responded by writing climate change fiction despite the challenges of representation. James Bradley, an Australian novelist and critic, is one of those writers who are deeply occupied by the impacts of climate change. He has written Clade (2017) which traces the life of Adam Leith, a climatologist, and his family descendants amid the disastrous consequences of climate change. To analyze this novel, the researcher focuses on solastalgia, and applies the approach of everyday aesthetics. In a nutshell, the paper attempts to highlight the impact of climate change, examine the relationship between the characters and their environment, and explore the possibility of adaptation and detection of aesthetic values in an environment destroyed by climate change.


2021 ◽  
Vol 886 (1) ◽  
pp. 012090
Author(s):  
L R E Malau ◽  
A T Darhyati ◽  
Suharno

Abstract Food security is one of the main goals in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDG’s). Food security, natural disasters, and climate change are thought to be interrelated. Climate change contributes to natural disasters such as floods, landslides, drought, land and forest fires, resulting in reduced food production, increased food prices, and disrupted access to food distribution. Ultimately, the impacts of climate change and natural disasters are one of the main causes of hunger and affect all dimensions of food security. This study aimed to analyze the impact of climate change, natural disasters, and other determinants on food security in Indonesia using the Tobit regression. The data used was from 33 provinces in 2010-2018. Climate change was proxied by rainfall, while natural disasters were proxied by the frequency of natural disasters and facility damage due to disasters. The results showed that food crop production, GRDP per capita, and the average years of schooling had a significant effect on increasing food security. Meanwhile, rainfall and deforestation had a significant effect on reducing food security. On the other hand, although not significant, the frequency and damage to facilities due to natural disasters harms food security. The results of this study confirmed the importance of preserving forest biodiversity as an effort to achieve food security as seen from the negative effects of rainfall and deforestation on food security. In this case, deforestation was one of the contributors to climate change which in turn had an impact on the intensity of natural disasters. To achieve food security for the achievement of the SDGs, policies to reduce deforestation or forest conversion need attention as one of the efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 14025
Author(s):  
Fazlullah Akhtar ◽  
Usman Khalid Awan ◽  
Christian Borgemeister ◽  
Bernhard Tischbein

The Kabul River Basin (KRB) in Afghanistan is densely inhabited and heterogenic. The basin’s water resources are limited, and climate change is anticipated to worsen this problem. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of data to measure the impacts of climate change on the KRB’s current water resources. The objective of the current study is to introduce a methodology that couples remote sensing and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for simulating the impact of climate change on the existing water resources of the KRB. Most of the biophysical parameters required for the SWAT model were derived from remote sensing-based algorithms. The SUFI-2 technique was used for calibrating and validating the SWAT model with streamflow data. The stream-gauge stations for monitoring the streamflow are not only sparse, but the streamflow data are also scarce and limited. Therefore, we selected only the stations that are properly being monitored. During the calibration period, the coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) were 0.75–0.86 and 0.62–0.81, respectively. During the validation period (2011–2013), the NSE and R2 values were 0.52–0.73 and 0.65–0.86, respectively. The validated SWAT model was then used to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on streamflow. Regional Climate Model (RegCM4-4) was used to extract the data for the climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5) from the CORDEX domain. The results show that streamflow in most tributaries of the KRB would decrease by a maximum of 5% and 8.5% under the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively. However, streamflow for the Nawabad tributary would increase by 2.4% and 3.3% under the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively. To mitigate the impact of climate change on reduced/increased surface water availability, the SWAT model, when combined with remote sensing data, can be an effective tool to support the sustainable management and strategic planning of water resources. Furthermore, the methodological approach used in this study can be applied in any of the data-scarce regions around the world.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thulani Dube ◽  
Philani Moyo ◽  
Moreblessings Ncube ◽  
Douglas Nyathi

<p>Several local studies have been carried out on the impact of climate change on livelihoods and development especially in developing countries. However, there is a general scarcity of literature that makes a comparative appraisal of the impacts of climate change on agro-ecological based livelihoods across the African continent. This paper seeks to address that gap by making a comparative analysis of the effects of climate change on agro-based livelihoods across the African continent, focusing on Eastern, Western, Southern Africa and the Sahel region. A cross continental perspective on this issue is important in informing current global climate change negotiations and response strategies both at global level and national levels. While some studies have been conducted at individual country levels about the projected and recorded impacts of climate change, there remains a dearth of literature that reviews and consolidates these findings to give an overall holistic picture about continental and sub-continental impacts in Africa especially as relating to local agro and ecological based livelihoods. This study finds out that the impact of climate change is invariably negative across the whole of Africa as it leads to failing agricultural yields and a reduction of bio-diversity. The paper recommends an intensification for the support of livelihood diversification strategies in rural development planning. It further recommends policy strategies that particularly targets the poor and vulnerable communities whose livelihoods hinge on agriculture and natural ecosystems as these will suffer the most from the impact of climate change.</p>


Climate ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Mazharul Islam ◽  
Majed Alharthi ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam

The potential costs of road traffic accidents (RTAs) to society are immense. Yet, no study has attempted to examine the impact of climate change on RTAs in Saudi Arabia, though RTA-leading deaths are very high, and the occurrence of climatic events is very frequent. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of climate change on RTAs in Saudi Arabia and to recommend some climate change mitigation and adaptation policies to make roads safe for all. This study employed annual data from 13 regions of Saudi Arabia, from 2003 to 2013. The data were analyzed on the basis of panel regression models—fixed effect, random effect, and the pooled ordinary least square. The findings show that temperature, rainfall, sandstorms, and number of vehicles were statistically and significantly responsible for RTAs in Saudi Arabia in the study period. This study also found that RTAs both inside and outside cities significantly caused injuries, but only RTAs inside cities significantly caused death. Furthermore, the death from RTAs injuries was found to be statistically significant only for motor vehicle accidents. The findings will assist policymakers in taking the right courses of action to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change through understanding climate influence on RTAs.


Author(s):  
Naseem Dillman-Hasso

AbstractThe connections between climate change and mental health are well known (Berry et al., Int J Publ Health 55(2):123–132, 2010; Clayton and Manning 2018; Kim et al., J Environ Sci Health C 32(3):299–318, 2014). Research also points to the positive impacts of nature on mental health, well-being, and attention (Capaldi et al., Int J Wellbeing 5(4):1–16, 2015; Kaplan and Kaplan 1989; Tillmann et al., J Epidemiol Community Health 72(10):958–966, 2018). However, no empirical research has examined how degradation of nature as a result of climate change can impact the mental health benefits that nature provides. This paper first reviews the existing research on the negative mental health consequences of climate change and the benefits of nature exposure for stress, mental health, and well-being. The connection between these two lines of research is examined in order to fully understand the impacts of climate change on mental health. Suggestions for future research are included.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 181-187
Author(s):  
Getachew Bekele Fereja

It is true that most proportions of Africans livestock production and productivities are declined when the climate condition is not comfortable. Therefore this review was conducted to show the impacts of climate change on livestock production and productivities. The climate change especially global warming may highly influence production performance of farm animals throughout the world. While there has been occasional mention, in the global discussion on climate change there has generally been a dearth of attention paid to the animal production and productivities impacts of the proposed abatement options and some of the suggested livestock management approaches would have severe and wide-ranging impacts on the animal’s products. This is on the background that the impact of climate change on crops is well known, much less is known about the impact of climate change on livestock. Unfortunately, livestock production and productivities assumes an overriding emphasis as one of the core sectors to solve the current food challenges and bringing future food sustainability in developing countries. Out of all the factors influencing livestock production, climate, and location are undoubtedly the most significant. Climate change will have far-reaching consequences for animal production, especially in vulnerable parts of the world where it is vital for nutrition and livelihoods. The impact of climate change can heighten the vulnerability of livestock systems and exacerbate existing stresses upon them, such as drought. Parasites and diseases are among the most severe factors that impact livestock production and productivity. Animal diseases have great impact on food supplies, trade and commerce, and human health globally. Animal genetic diversity is critical for food security and rural development. It allows farmers to select stocks or develop new breeds in response to changing conditions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhea Rocque ◽  
Caroline Beaudoin ◽  
Ruth Ndjaboue ◽  
Laura Cameron ◽  
Louann Poirier-Bergeron ◽  
...  

Background: Although many studies have explored the health impacts of climate change, a broader overview of research is needed to guide future research and action to mitigate and adapt to the health impacts of climate change. Methods: We conducted an overview of systematic reviews of health impacts of climate change. We systematically searched the literature using a predefined search strategy, inclusion, and exclusion criteria. We included systematic reviews that explored at least one health impact of climate change. We organized systematic reviews according to their key characteristics, including geographical regions, year of publication and authors' affiliations. We mapped the climate effects and health outcomes being studied and synthesized major findings. Findings: We included ninety-four systematic reviews. Most were published after 2015 and approximately one fifth contained meta-analyses. Reviews synthesized evidence about five categories of climate impacts; the two most common were meteorological and extreme weather events. Reviews covered ten health outcome categories; the three most common were 1) infectious diseases, 2) mortality, and 3) respiratory, cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary or neurological outcomes. Most reviews suggested a deleterious impact of climate change on multiple adverse health outcomes, although the majority also called for more research. Interpretation: Overall, most systematic reviews suggest that climate change is associated with worse human health. Future research could explore the potential explanations between these associations to propose adaptation and mitigation strategies and could include psychological and broader social health impacts of climate change. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research FDN-148426


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