scholarly journals Positive Externalities of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation for Human Health: A Review and Conceptual Framework for Public Health Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2481
Author(s):  
Jean C. Bikomeye ◽  
Caitlin S. Rublee ◽  
Kirsten M. M. Beyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Positive Externalities ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies

Anthropogenic climate change is adversely impacting people and contributing to suffering and increased costs from climate-related diseases and injuries. In responding to this urgent and growing public health crisis, mitigation strategies are in place to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) while adaptation strategies exist to reduce and/or alleviate the adverse effects of climate change by increasing systems’ resilience to future impacts. While these strategies have numerous positive benefits on climate change itself, they also often have other positive externalities or health co-benefits. This knowledge can be harnessed to promote and improve global public health, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. Previous conceptual models in mitigation and adaptation studies such as the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) considered health in the thinking, but health outcomes were not their primary intention. Additionally, existing guidance documents such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidance for Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities is designed primarily for public health professionals or healthcare managers in hospital settings with a primary focus on resilience. However, a detailed cross sectoral and multidisciplinary conceptual framework, which links mitigation and adaptation strategies with health outcomes as a primary end point, has not yet been developed to guide research in this area. In this paper, we briefly summarize the burden of climate change on global public health, describe important mitigation and adaptation strategies, and present key health benefits by giving context specific examples from high, middle, and low-income settings. We then provide a conceptual framework to inform future global public health research and preparedness across sectors and disciplines and outline key stakeholders recommendations in promoting climate resilient systems and advancing health equity.

scholarly journals Toward an integrated system of climate change and human health indicators: a conceptual framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 166 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Y. Liu ◽  
Juli M. Trtanj ◽  
Erin K. Lipp ◽  
John M. Balbus
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Science And Policy

AbstractEnvironmental health indicators are helpful for tracking and communicating complex health trends, informing science and policy decisions, and evaluating public health actions. When provided on a national scale, they can help inform the general public, policymakers, and public health professionals about important trends in exposures and how well public health systems are preventing those exposures from causing adverse health outcomes. There is a growing need to understand national trends in exposures and health outcomes associated with climate change and the effectiveness of climate adaptation strategies for health. To date, most indicators for health implications of climate change have been designed as independent, individual metrics. This approach fails to take into account how exposure-outcome pathways for climate-attributable health outcomes involve multiple, interconnected components. We propose reframing climate change and health indicators as a linked system of indicators, which can be described as follows: upstream climate drivers affect environmental states, which then determine human exposures, which ultimately lead to health outcomes; these climate-related risks are modified by population vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies. We apply this new conceptual framework to three illustrative climate-sensitive health outcomes and associated exposure-outcome pathways: pollen allergies and asthma, West Nile virus infection, and vibriosis.

scholarly journals Toward an Integrated System of Climate Change and Human Health Indicators: A Conceptual Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Y. Liu ◽  
Juli M. Trtanj ◽  
Erin K. Lipp ◽  
John M. Balbus
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Science And Policy

Abstract Environmental health indicators are helpful for tracking and communicating complex health trends, informing science and policy decisions, and evaluating public health actions. When provided on a national scale, they can help inform the general public, policy makers, and public health professionals about important trends in exposures and how well public health systems are preventing those exposures from causing adverse health outcomes. There is a growing need to understand national trends in exposures and health outcomes associated with climate change and the effectiveness of climate adaptation strategies for health. To date, most indicators for health implications of climate change have been designed as independent, individual metrics. This approach fails to take into account how exposure-outcome pathways for climate-attributable health outcomes involve multiple, interconnected components. We propose reframing climate change and health indicators as a linked system of indicators, which can be described as follows: upstream climate drivers affect environmental states, which then determine human exposures, which ultimately lead to health outcomes; these climate-related risks are modified by population vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies. We apply this new conceptual framework to three illustrative climate-sensitive health outcomes and associated exposure-outcome pathways: pollen allergies and asthma, West Nile Virus infection, and vibriosis.

Climate Change Surge: Implementing Stringent Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-183
Author(s):  
Kola Odeku ◽  
Edson Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South African ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
African Government ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies

AbstractThis article examines how the South African government, realizing the country's vulnerability to climate change, deemed it necessary to strengthen adaptation and mitigation measures and put in place legal and institutional frameworks to ensure implementation and compliance. Government must take responsibility for industry's inaction by implementing policies on climate change and, more importantly, through a visible change in government policy to hold industry accountable. The stringent policies and strategies being put in place are reducing vulnerability and also enhancing a broad spectrum of capacity in responding to environmental, climatic, resource and economic perturbations. The article further reviews state of the art methods and tools available to strengthen mitigation and adaptation strategies and measures in the areas of the existing frameworks regarding climate change. It also considers various measures by Eskom in particular, and strategies embarked upon by South Africa's national and local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Do scientists have a responsibility to provide climate change expertise to mitigation and adaptation strategies? Perspectives from climate professionals

2020 ◽  
pp. 096366252096669
Author(s):  
Jackie M. Getson ◽  
Anders E. Sjöstrand ◽  
Sarah P. Church ◽  
Roberta Weiner ◽  
Jerry L. Hatfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Policy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Change Mitigation

Although the scientific community has reached a consensus that anthropogenic climate change is a severe and pressing issue, climate change remains a contentious debate with the United States public. Through a survey ( N = 273), we explored climate professionals’ perspectives on their role and responsibility to promote climate change adaptation/mitigation strategies related to agroecosystems. They believed that climate professionals have a social responsibility to provide scientific input to both policymakers and the public. There was strong agreement that media, political, and public support is necessary for development, and near unanimous agreement for implementation, of climate change mitigation/adaptation strategies. This study highlights the climate professionals’ perceptions of their responsibility to provide scientific input, but also demonstrates that they believe the responsibility does not rest solely on their shoulders. Further research should explore scientists’ perceptions of their and others’ policy roles and scientists’ interactions with different influencers of adaptation/mitigation policy.

Strategic planning for climate change mitigation and adaptation: the case of Greece

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Spyridi ◽  
Christos Vlachokostas ◽  
Alexandra V. Michailidou ◽  
Constantinos Sioutas ◽  
Nicolas Moussiopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Of Greece

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to put forward a methodological framework to provide a comparative assessment of available mitigation and adaptation strategies against climate change. Mitigation options aim at minimizing CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, in an effort to reduce the rate of increase in global temperature. On the other hand, adaptation options relate to the ability of the natural or human systems to handle the impact of the climate change and to adjust to its effects, seeking to eliminate the adverse consequences and take advantage of any beneficial outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology focuses on specific parameters, leading to the most efficient package of alternatives for the area of Greece. The selection of the “optimal” ranking of alternatives in a defined strategy is a sophisticated procedure, and a multi-criteria decision-making process was established. A questionnaire was designed and used as input to the overall framework, based on specific decision criteria. Climate change experts gave their feedback via a face-to-face interview. ELECTRE III multi-criteria decision analysis was adopted for the comparative evaluation, as it fits best to complex environmental problems. An “optimal” sequence of mitigation and adaptation strategies was provided for Greece. Findings – The use of renewable energy sources, increase of energy efficiency and improved forest management – tree planting and rational water management – are among the most promising options to strategically plan climate change mitigation and adaptation for Greece. Originality/value – The presented study provides an insight into alternative mitigation and adaptation strategies against climate change. The use of the multi-criteria analysis is an innovative approach to outline the optimal bundle of strategies. The methodology focuses on specific parameters, leading to the most efficient package of measures for the area of Greece. Such an approach is implemented for the first time in Greece, at least up to the authors’ knowledge, and provides a basis for strategic governance and policy modeling for the area under consideration.

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