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| The Health Sector on the Front Lines |
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In the age of climate change, the health sector finds itself on the front lines, confronting and adapting to a changing landscape and shifting burden of disease. By working to reduce carbon pollution in the atmosphere, while developing forward looking adaptation strategies, we can protect human health, saving lives and money. Indeed, the health sector can play a leadership role in developing and modeling climate solutions for the rest of society. |
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| Be Informed |
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The HCWH Climate and Health News Service is a brand-new free service that aims to keep you – health professionals, climate experts and decision makers – informed on the latest developments, trends, resources and events around the world.
If you're not already a subscriber, you can sign-up for free subscribe
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| Reports & Publications |
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WHO-HCWH Climate Report: Healthy Hospitals, Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Addressing Climate Change in Health Care Settings (pdf)
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| Notice: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Health Care Without Harm concerning the legal, social, economic status of any country, territory, city of area or of its authorities. The published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. Online articles and links might expire days after their release date. |
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| International: WHO Releases Policy Briefing on Health Co-Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation |
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| by WHO |
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Many strategies to reduce climate change have large, immediate health benefits. Others may pose health risks or tradeoffs. Examined systematically, a powerful new dimension of measures to address climate change emerges. WHO's Health in the Green Economy series is reviewing the evidence about expected health impacts of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in light of mitigation options for key economic sectors. The aim is to propose important health co-benefits for sector and health policy-makers, and for consideration in the next round of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mitigation reviews. more |
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| Europe: New Report on Low Carbon Buildings In The Health Care Sector |
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| by Low Carbon Healthcare |
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A new State of the Art Report on Low Carbon Buildings in the Health Care Sector has been prepared to disseminate some of the initial findings of the LCB-HEALTHCARE project. The report commences with a contextual overview of the European healthcare infrastructure, which highlights the
complexity and diversity across Europe and provides an indicator of the scale of the sector’s carbon footprint. It then highlights the regulatory pressures that will be applied on EU Members States over the coming decade to improve the energy performance of buildings and reduce their contribution to CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. more |
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| US: New Study Shows Rising Health Penalty From Climate Change |
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| by Union of Concerned Scientists |
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A new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists suggests that climate change is likely to cause increases in respiratory disease from ozone pollution. The study Rising Temperatures, Worsening Ozone Pollution demonstrates the complex and increasing health risks associated with rising global average temperatures associated with climate change. Ozone affects the airways and lungs, causing inflammation and reduced function. Exposure to increased levels of ozone is associated with increased hospital admissions for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases, and with premature mortality. more |
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| Africa: Researchers Match Cholera Outbreaks With Temperature and Rainfall Rise |
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| by Reuters Health |
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Climate Variability and the Outbreaks of Cholera in Zanzibar, East Africa: A Time Series Analysis, a study carried in East Africa and published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene found that moderate increases in temperature and rainfall can herald cholera epidemics. The researchers matched cholera outbreaks which occurred in Zanzibar between 1999 and 2008 against temperature and rainfall records over the same period and found that the environmental changes were closely followed by disease. In this regard, researchers now urge governments to use those environmental cues to better protect vulnerable populations. more |
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| Canada: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change |
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| by IHACC |
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The Canadian project (funded jointly by the International Development Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council ) called Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change is working closely with Indigenous peoples and their organizations to create a research program that will contribute towards strengthening health systems in light of a rapidly changing climate. A multi-disciplinary team of scholars from Uganda, Peru and Canada are studying the health effects of climate change on indigenous groups, along with factors that may help them adapt to some of these changes. more |
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| New Zealand: Climate Change Brings Risk of More Infectious Diseases |
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| by China Daily |
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Researchers linked global warming and public health and said that the number of New Zealanders being hospitalized with infectious diseases has surged in the last two decades.
According to the researcher Nick Wilson (Department of Public Health, University of Otago, New Zealand), more than a quarter of acute hospitalizations in New Zealand are resulted from infectious diseases, compared with only 18 percent in the early 1990s.
He also said that while climate change is having impacts on the environment, it is also critical to understand its current and potential impacts on human health. more |
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