Health Impacts of Climate Variability and Change Peter

Health Impacts of Climate Variability and Change Peter Berry Ph. D. Climate Change and Health Division Safe Environments Directorate Health Canada The Caribbean Regional Climate Outlook Forum May 30 -31, 2016 Roseau, Dominica

Evidence of Climate Change - “Warming is unequivocal” Global Land Ocean Temperature Anomalies, January - December (Annual anomalies relative to 20 th century) 2015 was the hottest year on record NOAA, 2016 2

Health Impacts of Climate Variability and Change Extreme Events Natural Environment Built Environment Gradual Change Social Environment Determinants of Health Physical Environment Income and Social Status Employment/ Working Conditions Health and Social Services Social Support Networks Healthy Child Development Health Impacts Temperature- related Illnesses Vector-borne diseases Effects of water and food contamination Air-pollution health effects Extreme weather events Impacts on vulnerable populations and regions Culture 3

Health Impacts from Floods • Drowning • Electrocutions, injuries, lacerations, skin punctures • Shock, hyperthermia, cardiac arrest • Psychosocial disturbances • Waterborne infections • Vector-borne diseases • Food and water shortages http: //www. bbc. com/news/world-latin-america 34091475

Russian Extreme Heat Event, 2010 Estimates placed the death toll near 55, 000 people across Russia. June 17 th, 2010, 20: 22 PM August 7 th, 2010, 17: 05 PM Average daily maximum temperature in Moscow for early August is 21ºC; during the first half of August 2010, temperatures were 15ºC above average. Source: Wikipedia, 2010 Source: NASA, July 20 -27, 2010,

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Projected Global Average Surface Temperature Change (IPCC, 2013) 7

Future Global Health Impacts from Climate Change Heat waves and forest fires Very high confidence Reduced labour productivity High confidence Increased under-nutrition Very high confidence Food borne diseases Very high confidence Water-borne diseases Very high confidence Vector-borne diseases Medium confidence 8

Heat Impacts on Labour Productivity Kjellstrom et al. , 2016 9

Climate Change Impacts on Food Figure: Climate related deaths per million people in 2050 Springmann et al. , 2016 10

Historic Health Gains at Risk Over the last 55 years, death rates in children under 5 years of age has decreased from 214 per 1000 live births to 59. Over the same time, life expectancy has increased from 47 years to 69 years. 11

Impacts on Health Programs Food Safety Seniors’ Health Sustainable Development Health care system capacity Infectious Disease Management Adaptation Mental Health 12 Impacts Mitigation Health of Indigenous Populations Travel Medicine Air and Water Quality Children’s Environmental Health Occupational Health Emergency Preparedness

Growing Knowledge of Health Impacts • Assessment of Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation in Dominica (2016) • An Assessment of the Economic and Social Impacts of Climate Change on the Health Sector in the Caribbean (2013) • Heatwaves and Health: Guidance on Warning-System Development (WHO, 2015) • Health Care Facility Climate Change Resiliency Workshop Primer (PAHO/WHO, 2015) • Climate Change, Health and Equity (2015) • Collaborative Change – A Communication Framework for Climate Change Adaptation and Food Security (2010) 13

Climate Change and Health Adaptation EM Action With and Without “Adaptation” EM Action EM + Adaptation Hazard Risk Vulnerability Assessment HRVA integrating climate change + CC assessments Disaster mitigation informed by CC drivers (e. g, UHI) Disaster planning Disaster plans – informed by CC (eg. , simultaneous events) Table top exercises TTX with CC scenario Surveillance Monitoring new health risks Response and recovery Activate surge capacity Increasing planning capacity Partners with CC knowledge, staff aware of CC risks

Increasing Resiliency of Health Systems • Climate-informed health planning • Health and climate capacity development • Emergency preparedness and management • Vulnerability, capacity and adaptation assessment • Integrated risk monitoring and early warning WHO, 2015 15

Health Facility Climate Change Resiliency http: //www. eenews. net/assets/2014/12/15/document_pm_02. pdf Strengthening the resilience of health systems would both save lives now, and protect populations from much of the potential health impacts of climate change at least until the middle of the coming century (WHO, 2015). www. greenhealthcare. ca/climateresilienthealthcare/ http: //www. paho. org/disasters 16

Developing Heat Resilient Communities and Individuals • Since 2007 Health Canada has improved Canadian resiliency to heat in the following ways: » Delivering heat-health messaging to support personal adaptation » Conducting research into heat-health science to address knowledge gaps » Disseminating information for health care workers through clinical training » Expanding Heat Alert and Response Systems across Canada • In 2011 the heat resiliency project provided: » Pilot Heat Alert Response Systems in four Canadian communities (Fredericton, Winnipeg, Windsor, Melita) » A Best Practices Guidebook on Heat Alert and Response Systems » Guidelines for Health Care Workers regarding Extreme Heat Events 17

THANK YOU For further information: Peter Berry Peter. Berry@hc-sc. gc. ca http: //www. hc-sc. gc. ca/ewh-semt/climat/index-eng. php 18