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Climate Change and Health
- 3. “85% of the Health Impacts of Climate Change Occur in Children” - World Health Organization
- 4. Children – The Index Species Heat and Social Stress Inherent Vulnerability Reliant on others Shelter, Food, Health Needs Infections - Immunocompromised Less thermo-regulation Injury during developmental stages Pollution Hunger
- 5. Increased Exposure Life years Concentration/dose effects Time outdoors Injury to Developing Organs – starting in utero Lungs Brains Musculoskeletal Children – The Index Species Pollution
Hinweis der Redaktion
- When talking about the health effects of climate change, it is easy to get inundated by the large web of effects and the number of health concerns that are already being seen. If we look at changes in climates immediate impacts of increased CO2, rising temperatures, extreme weather and rising sea level expanded, we can see how each of these has consequences and those consequences are numerous. Naturally they vary depending on where you live. For example, rising sea levels afre resulting in displacement, water borne diseases and conflict. Migration of vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes is already translating into a more northerly spread of diseases like dengue fever, malaria and West Nile virus.
- The reasons we need to speak specifically about children are several. Number one, the World Health Organization estimates that 85% of the Health Impacts of climate change are occurring in children. These are disporportionaletly impacting children and those living in poverty. These can least afford medications, loss of habitat, migration or natural resources such as clean water and food. . That makes climate change a human rights issue. So while I will be stressing local health effects of climate change we have to recognize that there is a connection between harm done to these and harm done to Montana
- The next reason we should be concerned with the effects of climate change on children’s health is because they are sensitive indicators of how the environment is doing. I use the phrase index species or canary in the coal mine only as an analogy but I don’t really like the analogy because remember the canary didn’t go into the coal mine of it’s own choice or for the good of the canary. They have an inherent vulnerability because they are subject to our decisions with no voice. Children are espicallly vulnerable to many of the health impacts listed on the previous slide such as infections because they have less immunity. I am mainly going to speak to their vulnerability to heat, and pollution
- Children then are especially vulnerable because they are subject to our decisions with no voice. They are being exposed to toxins and harm during deveolpement and these exposures start in utero. . Furthermore because the changes take place during a time of organ formation, the changes can be permanent and accumulating. They are exposed more than adults by virtue of their number of years of exposure, a greater dose per pound of exposure and the fact that they are being exposed for greater periods fo time