Rachel Straughn

March 13, 2017

HONORS 394 E

Human Health as a Motivator for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Save the trees! Reduce, reuse, recycle! Respect your mother! Small, minimalistic leaves.
Adorable little cartoons of planet earth. Images of polar bears standing on bare ground, staring sadly
into the empty waters before them. Societies are being barraged with images of the environment as
politicians, companies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) do their part in convincing the public
that 1) climate change is occurring, 2) climate change is caused by humans, and 3) it is worth their while
to change their ways in order to slow the rate at which the climate is changing.

Yet, in spite of the efforts of various groups over the last two decades or so, there still remains
concerns that the opportunity for effectively slowing climate change may soon come to an end. It simply
is not happening fast enough. When these groups decide how to spread their message, they must
choose to appeal to certain motivations shared by their target audience. More often than not, they
settle on the methods alluded to above. While the adverse effects of climate change on the earth’s flora
and fauna are significant and should not be reduced in importance, the repeated use of that message
could very well desensitize general populations to those messages altogether, especially those in
developed areas removed from regular environmental exposure. Additionally, while many respond
positively to altruistic motivations, personal motivations are often more tangible and a faster point of
action for individuals. Perhaps it is time to begin exploring other incentives for mitigating the effects of
climate change.

Climate change is causing a rapid and definite change in global health. Studies have attributed
anywhere from 13 to 37% of the Global Disease Burden to environmental causes, which could be
reduced through efforts of improvement (Prüss-Üstün, 2008). An investigation into the effects of climate
change on human health can be best done through case studies, which will describe the migration of
infectious disease, increase of pollution-related diseases, and increase in the occurrence of malnutrition
due to changes in agriculture—all of which are most drastically seen in developing countries, which are
the least capable of adapting to these changes. Knowledge about the human health effects of climate
change can introduce new conversations about the ethics of climate change inaction. Humans will
identify with and value the lives of other humans more than the environment, because few things are as
personal as health.

The first region of interest is Latin America. While a sizeable portion of earth’s’ landmass, only a
handful of the 33 countries and dependencies located in Latin America are developed, which affects the
severity of the region’s human health concerns, and its ability to respond to them. The vast majority of
these concerns include the redistribution of communicable diseases such as malaria, dengue,
leishmaniasis, and bacterial infections (Rodriguez-Morales, 2010). For instance, studies have linked
significant increases in the incidence of leishmaniasis—a parasitical disease causing skin sores
(cutaneous) or internal organ damage (visceral)—to climate variability through years of El Niño and
drought events in various Latin American countries. El Niño periods are climate events that result in
warmer ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific (NOAA). Ocean temperatures are expected to rise
as an effect of global climate change, therefore it can be deduced that instances of leishmaniasis will
increase as well, whether there are more El Niño events or not. For malaria, a parasite transmitted
through mosquito bites that causes a flu-like illness, cases in Venezuela and Bolivia have begun
occurring at high altitudes during years where intense climate changes and high rainfall occurred within
those countries. Dengue, another mosquito-transmitted flu-like illness, has also seen increases in
occurrence with significant association in climate variations, specifically in temperature, humidity, and
rainfall. Another notable disease-climate relationship in Latin America is that involving bacterial
infections. Strains of bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Streptococcus are known to infect humans
more often in warmer environment conditions, which will undoubtedly occur more often with global
climate change. In Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Brazil, it was noted that leptospirosis saw
outbreaks stemming from extreme climate events such as hurricanes that brought heavy rain and floods
to the countries. As climate change continues to alter global and regional weather, it is expected that
extreme weather events causing these outbreaks will increase in intensity and possibly frequency,
therefore doing the same for the resulting bacterial outbreaks. The vulnerable nature of most
populations in Latin America will also magnify the cause for concern towards increasing instances of
diseases, as they are unable to maintain the current number of instances.

Another region experiencing unique climate-related health effects is Africa. According to the
most of the literature available on this subject, it would seem that the change in the distribution of
malaria would be the largest climate-related health concern of the region (Byass, 2009). Speculation as
to why this is so suggests that the projections showing malaria migrating northward to western
countries are motivating more westerners to focus their climate-health research on this subject. While
plenty of data has confirmed the relationship between climate variability and malaria distribution and
occurrence, it should not be overlooked that others aspects of Africa’s human health will be impacted as
well. For instance, approximately half of the world’s undernourished is currently located in Africa (Patz,
2005). Extreme weather events such as droughts reduce the amount of food crops, and as climate
change continues, an increase in intensity of extreme weather events can worsen nutrition inequalities
across socioeconomic statuses all over the world, especially in Africa. However, population health data
and projections for Africa remain scarce. A contributing factor to this is that Africa currently
experiencing a high rate of urbanization, with its urban population expected to double to a size of 760
million by the year 2030 (Ramin, 2009). Unfortunately, urbanization in Africa specifically is linked to
poverty, and currently 71.8% of the urban population in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums, which are
densely populated areas where there is little to no access to basic services such as clean water and
electricity. Living conditions such as these promote the spread of diseases such as cholera, malaria,
dengue and yellow fever. The health effects of urbanization will interact with the health effects of
climate change in a novel way, making population health projections in this region somewhat
unpredictable. As difficult as it may be to obtain population health data in Africa, efforts should still be
made to understand how 11% of the human population will be effected in the coming years through
climate change, and to assist with the necessary adaptation to these effects.

The Pacific Island countries have repeatedly been marked as one of the most vulnerable regions
to the health effects of climate change, due to the changes in weather patterns they experience and the
limited ability of the countries in this region to manage the health risks associated with these changes
(Woodward, 2000). Climate change effects most strongly seen in these countries include altered rainfall
patterns, increased sea and air temperature, increase in frequency and/or severity of extreme weather
events, increase in sea level, decrease in ocean salinity, and increase in ocean acidity (WHO, 2015). The
direct and indirect health impacts resulting from these include water security and safety (including
water-borne diseases), increase in malnutrition and food-borne diseases, vector-borne diseases such as
malaria and dengue fever, respiratory illness, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity,
diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This last health impact is particularly worrisome because Pacific
Island countries are already experiencing the highest rates of NCDs in the world, with some research
groups predicting that the region will be the first to see the effects of climate change as a direct
contributor to the risks of NCDs, which are often lack of physical activity, food insecurity, and
malnutrition (McIver, 2016). However, the most alarming health effect of climate change comes from
the stress of high heat, especially for those with preexisting NCDs who will be less capable of adaptation
to these changes. Like Africa, the Pacific Island countries are experiencing a high rate of urbanization,
even some that previously contained no urban areas (Woodward, 2000). While urbanization can lead to
many beneficial developments such as increased education and growing economies, there are also risks
for population health. Some contributions to these risks stem from the creation of “heat islands,” a
result of solar radiation onto densely packed concrete and dark structures, and physical crowding, which
can result in the rapid spread of diseases especially if sanitation services are scarce. Additionally, the
rising sea level and inward movement of coastlines are leading to a large inland migration of people,
which will also contribute to unpredictable changes in the transmission of diseases. The socioeconomic
status of Pacific Island countries will make it difficult to adapt to these changes in human health at the
rate they are occurring and projected to occur.

The last region of interest is the Arctic. Indigenous peoples living in this region are among the
most vulnerable to the health effects of climate change due to their close interactions with the
environment around them, physical and social isolation, tendency towards lower socioeconomic status,
and reduced access to regular healthcare (Furgal, 2006). Additionally, indigenous people in this region
often live near or on coastal areas, where the effects of climate change are perhaps the most drastically
seen around the world. The primary climate-related health concerns for those living in the Arctic include
injury from extreme weather events, mental and social stress from changes in lifestyle, changes in the
distribution of infectious diseases, and decreased access to clean water (Parkinson, 2009). Some health
concerns unique to the region involve increases in illnesses from failed sanitation infrastructure due to
permafrost thaw and strong Arctic storms. Changes in biodiversity and agriculture distribution may also
result in diet changes for Arctic people, likely increasing cases of NCDs as western diets lead to more
cases of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. Additionally, increases in inland
precipitation and land ice melt will result in larger amounts of runoff carrying contaminants from urban
pollution into the coastlines inhabited by these indigenous peoples. Some illnesses are unique to the
Arctic region, and are expected to occur more often with climate change. For instance, food-borne
botulism sees outbreaks when food stored below ground is too warm, at temperatures above 4°C
(Parkinson, 2005). Other illnesses related to the unique fishing industry in the Arctic are expected to
have similar trends as surface and sea temperatures increase. It is important to note that these changes
in human health are occurring at the same time as many drastic cultural and socioeconomic changes
among communities within the Arctic, which is an additional source of stress to the stress from physical
landscape changes occurring at the same time. The diverse distribution of the indigenous peoples and
disconnect from any sort of general healthcare policy in the Arctic will also mean that the climate-
related health effects mentioned above will be experienced differently within each community.
 It is obvious that a relationship exists between the effects of climate change and human health,
and it is important to note some patterns specifically within the regions identified above. These regions
are often identified as those experiencing the greatest human health burden of climate change, yet are
also some of the least equipped to adapt to these changes (Patz, 2005). Additionally, most of the
countries in these regions contribute a minimal amount to climate change by way of carbon dioxide
emissions and anthropogenic forcing, in comparison to the highly industrialized and developed countries
such as the United States and China. This poses a sizeable ethical dilemma: the countries that are
contributing the most to climate change are not the ones experiencing the brunt of its effects, nor are
they assisting those who are in any noticeable way (as of before April 22, 2016, when the Paris
Agreement went into effect). Disadvantaged, developing countries are effectively being forced to face
the consequences of other developed, massive waste-producing countries. This dilemma most likely has
many contributing factors, one of which being that not enough research has been made available to the
general public within these main climate-change contributing countries about the human face of climate
change. Instead, these general populations can only associate their personal actions with effects on the
environment, and are unable to make the connection between changes in environment and changes in
human health.

As the projections and outlooks on the global effects of climate change become more ominous,
and the opportunity for effective worldwide efforts for mitigation and adaptation shrinks in size, it has
become ever more pertinent to ensure that all individuals see the effects climate change is having, and
find their own personal motivation in order to act on it. For some, incentive may come from the
environmentally-inspired messages already being widely used today. For others, the urgency of climate
change may have yet to be realized once they see and understand that their actions directly affect the
health of other real, living people who do not have the same access to same resources as they do. If not
for the trees, penguins, polar bears, and oceans, at least take action for humans.
References
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