Coping with climate change

The effects of climate change on health are likely to be significant.
Managing the challenge will greatly depend on an effective adaptation
mechanism being drawn up at the United Nations climate change
conference to be held in Copenhagen later this year. Higher global
temperatures are expected to have both direct and indirect effects on
health. Given that a 2-degree C rise in temperature by the end of the
century is considered inevitable, it is time to prepare for the
fallout. Morbidity and mortality from vector-borne diseases, for
instance, could spread to newly-warming areas because some insects and
pathogens benefit from temperature changes. Access to clean water will
be compromised by severe droughts, and more intense monsoon events
such as cyclones and floods could lead to epidemics. Adapting to the
health effects of climate change will require a strong global policy
framework, combined with similar action at the national and
sub-national levels. Adaptation can have a strong foundation only if a
good funding mechanism exists. Optimistic assessments have it that an
accrual of $1-5 billion a year is possible under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. Going
by forecasts on climate change effects, these funds are almost certain
to fall far short of what is needed — running into tens of billions —
to meet the challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries. A
clear need exists to raise both funding and institutional capacity to
prepare for the anticipated health effects of climate change. An
increase in public spending on health at the national level should be
the starting point, because that will improve resilience to climate
consequences, besides conferring benefits all-round. Such investments
must ideally be matched by other programmes that influence social,
ecological, and economic determinants of health. It is useful, in this
context, to consider a set of important climate-related areas
identified for study and action by a commission constituted by the
University College, London, and The Lancet. These include changing
patterns of disease and mortality, food, water and sanitation,
urbanisation and extreme weather events. Also imperative is the need
for a sound national disease monitoring and surveillance system. Not
much structured data exists, for example, on heat wave-induced
mortality in India, while detailed studies are available from Europe
and the United States. Climate change is an important concern to
factor in, as the incoming UPA government gives shape to its
health-care agenda.

The Hindu, 1st June 2009