Climate Change and Public Health

Question: Discuss about theClimate Change and Public Health. Answer: Introduction: With the contemporary movement of scientific attention and interest from environmental impacts of climate change towards heath impacts of similar the researches are now focussing on challenges of climate change on public health. This research performed by Hudson (1) recently published in August 2016 is one such research that focuses on understanding the public health impact of climate change specifically in region of Hawaii that is one of the most important island regions globally. (2) indicates that Island communities are amongst the very first and foremost regions where climatic changes show most prominent and drastic effects. Some of the most popular climatic hazards are rising sea levels, storm patterns, rising precipitation, increasing temperature, global stress, increasing sea surface, land sliding etc. Hudson particularly focussed on limited climatic issues that include flooding, extreme temperature, precipitation and extreme weather for Hawaii region. The study also focuses on the positive aspect of climatic changes that involves opportunities for innovative planning, co-benefits and interdisciplinary collaboration that helps to overcome climatic stress. But, the main focus of the study is to demonstrate challenges of climatic changes on public health that are addressed with suitable examples in Hawaii area. There is a clear detection of health change occurring due to climatic change and further, planning and actions adopted to overcome the hazards. The study on explaining climate change and its role in public health, health disparities, social vulnerability, healthcare facilities and critical infrastructures clearly explain that climatic changes are affecting public health either directly or an indirect manner. (3) studied that health in affected either directly or indirectly by climate changes where the unexpected health challenges are born. The climate changes and its impact particularly in Hawaii are understood with the help of examples, situations and events in research that detail the process of climatic change impact on public health. However, there is lacking information about vulnerable demographics, statistics or any other quantitative data information. The research method based on literature and case studies clearly address the challenges of particular climatic changes on public health but botched to reveal the opportunities offered by climatic change in a detailed manner. Hudson explaining the health disparities and social vulnerability clearly demonstrate that climatic changes are not community focussed but their influence and outcomes are different for different communities and individual demographics. This impact of climatic change is detailed in an effective manner by explaining the vulnerability using examples. The research highlights that certain communities like coastal areas, hilly region etc. as well as certain individual like old age people, poor vulnerable face more negative impact of climatic changes compared to other. Climatic hazards and challenges is not a contemporary issue but a traditional burden for Island communities like Hawaii. (2) also demonstrated that island regions are more prone to global climatic changes like storm patterns, precipitation, sea level rise and temperature stress. Hudson concentration on factors that discriminate the impact of climatic changes are very specifically explained with examples. The people having li festyle choices like smoking, diet, pre-existing diseases, chronic health conditions are more susceptible to health hazards. The old age group and children are also considered to easily impacted and certain geographic locations are vulnerable to climatic stressful conditions. The explanation for health disparities and social vulnerability is clear and focused in research. Hudson further detailing the connection of healthcare facilities and critical infrastructures show no connection with the theme of research. This section is like additional data with very less description and no connection with the case study location. Even the section does not include any example of Hawaii location. Therefore, it can be considered as an additional part of study. Further, focussing on the case study location Hawaii, the research involves understanding climatic changes and its impact on public health in Hawaii. The presentation of pre-existing diseases, the influence of climate change and Hawaii indicator in form of table is an incredible method to detail the challenges of climatic changes. Further, social vulnerability factors like age, income, race, ethnicity, occupation, behaviour and attitudes of Hawaii population and their relationship with climatic changes impacts and hazards also presented in tabular form provides a detailed explanation. Each factor and pre-exi sting disease, supported by Hawaii region indicator, work as informative data to understand the challenges of climatic change in this region (1). However, there is a focus on some limited climatic changes like rising sea level, rainfall storm, rising sea level, rising surfaces etc. but there are various other climatic changes that are dwelling in Hawaii and Pacific Island regions that are not addressed in the study. (4) studied different climatic drivers influencing American and neighbouring Islands that includes extreme heat, increasing temperature, precipitation, extreme weather etc. these are not involved in research description related to Hawaii region. However, (5) indicated that Island communities forming 1/10 part of global population persist no proper political, financial and social resources to deal with climatic hazards. The study also indicated that Hawaii region also lacks these resources to overcome climatic hazards that work as opportunities of climatic changes. The region can take this as an opportunity to develop innovative planning, healthcare infrastructures, facilities and approaches to overcome health issue s. However, the elaboration and explanation on opportunities related to climatic changes are very limited in the study. There is only one example of Hawaii region provided by Hudson, that is about Farrington Highway region of Hawaii. Like the environment impact the health impact of climatic conditions is a critical issue, taking picture of significant issue globally (6). The determination of climatic change and its impact on public health surely open ways to minimise its effect working as an opportunity to develop innovative planning and addressing climatic change concerns. In todays contemporary society, climatic changes impact on public health provides an opportunity for financial, political and social infrastructure development of that region. Hudsons research is a good example demonstrating the belief that climatic changes are the natural phenomenon but controlling their impact is a manual phenomenon that can be addressed with good planning, conceptualised thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration. References Hudson SW. Insights in Public Health: Climate Change: A Public Health Challenge and Opportunity for Hawai i. Hawai'i Journal of Medicine Public Health. 2016 Aug; 75(8): 245. Lazrus H. Sea change: island communities and climate change. Wu L, Cai W, Zhang L, Nakamura H, Timmermann A, Joyce T, McPhaden MJ, Alexander M, Qiu B, Visbeck M, Chang P. Enhanced warming over the global subtropical western boundary currents. Nature Climate Change. 2012 Mar 1;2(3):161-6. Haines A, Kovats RS, Campbell-Lendrum D, Corvaln C. Climate change and human health: impacts, vulnerability and public health. Public health. 2006 Jul 31; 120(7): 585-96. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2014Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press; 2014 Dec 29. Vose JM, Peterson DL, Patel-Weynand T. Effects of climatic variability and change on forest ecosystems: a comprehensive science synthesis for the US.