Climate change and cardiorespiratory health

Question 1

The impacts of extreme weather events on health and wellbeing

Answer 1

Black Summer
- 33 people killed by fire
- 400+ people died from smoke related complications
- Thousands of people hospitalized
- 12 million people exposed to hazardous air pollution
Mental health effects continue to resonate through our communities
- COVID compounds stress
- and many more under research e.g. pregnancy and small children, heat mortality effect, community lung function post-smoke

Question 2

List some health challenges associated with climate change

Answer 2

• smoke and bushfires
• Drought has both physiological effects as well as serious mental health effects for communities
  Flooding and storm damage affects health of affected communities
  Towns without water can see health effects emerge
  Health services are compromised by extreme weather events including fires, droughts and floods
  Changes in patterns of diseases – particularly infections

nb all increasing: heatwaves, floods

Question 3

Describe how heat is a serious health risk

Answer 3

Heat is the natural event that has the highest mortality in Australia

Not well reflected in our health data

Very high temperatures are an emerging challenge for human habitation in parts of Australia

Regional variation in temperature is central to understanding the likely health and biological impacts of rising temperatures

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side note: not exercising because of heat:
Loss of muscle tone and strength
Metabolic changes including glucose, insulin
Blood pressure and HR
Mental health affects
Bowel and bladder function
Chronic disease management
Risk of falling increases

Exercise is a powerful ‘anti-aging’ intervention. Not exercising can increase frailty.

Question 4

Models for environmental influence on health

Answer 4

• many models (lancet countdown, ecological determinants of health, doughnut for anthropocene)
• include climate, weather, biodiversity; impact on air, food, water, where and how we live
• biopsychosoccial model + environmenyt

Question 5

Present an example of how environmental determinants of health impact cardiac and respiratory conditions*