Climate and Health Flashcards
What is the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) definition of health?
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (WHO constitution)
What are the two ways environmental change can influence health?
Direct effects - The result of changing climate (e.g., the increased frequency of extreme weather events)
Indirect effects - Where climate change has wider impacts that subsequently impact health (e.g., climate warming leads to new habitats for vectors of disease to spread)
What is a heatwave?
An extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year.
Give an example of how climate change can indirectly impact human health.
The 2020 California Wildfires burned an area twice the size of previous records and emitted 120 times more fine particulate matter (PM2.5) than California’s vehicles. This resulted in 1,200-3,000 excess deaths in people aged 65 or older.
What are vector-borne diseases (VBDs)?
Infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod species, such as mosquitos, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies, and blackflies.
What is epiclimatology?
The use of climate and weather information for the prediction of vector-borne diseases.
What is the concept of cascading risk?
Cascading risks are causal linkages following multiple direct and indirect pathways. An event can result in a cascading hazard with implications of greater magnitude than the initial hazard, particularly if there are pre-existing vulnerabilities.
What are the three factors that determine the risk of climate change?
Hazard: The potential occurrence of a natural or human-induced physical event or trend that may cause loss of life, injury, or other negative health impacts.
Exposure: The presence of people, livelihoods, species or ecosystems, environmental functions, services and resources, infrastructure, or economic, social, or cultural assets that could be adversely affected.
Vulnerability: The propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected by a hazard.
What is the burden of disease?
The gap between the population’s actual health status and what it would be if members lived free of disease and disability to life expectancy.
How do the impacts and risks of climate change vary?
They are heterogeneous and depend on the initial hazard, vulnerability, and exposure. They are also impacted by social, economic, and geographic factors.
