Climate change and health: rethinking public health messaging for wildfire smoke and extreme heat co-exposures DOI Creative Commons
Eric S. Coker,

Susan Stone,

Erin McTigue

et al.

Frontiers in Public Health, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 12

Published: March 25, 2024

With the growing climate change crisis, public health agencies and practitioners must increasingly develop guidance documents addressing risks protective measures associated with multi-hazard events. Our Policy Practice Review aims to assess current related messaging about co-exposure wildfire smoke extreme heat recommend strengthened better protect people from these climate-sensitive hazards. We reviewed published by governmental between January 2013 May 2023 in Canada United States. Publicly available resources were eligible if they discussed co-occurrence of mentioned personal interventions (protective measures) prevent exposure either hazard. local, regional, national agency resources, such as online fact sheets documents. assessed according four themes, including (1) discussions around vulnerable groups risk factors, (2) symptoms exposures, (3) each individually, (4) combined exposure. Additionally, we conducted a detailed assessment mitigate found 15 public-facing that provided co-exposure; however, only one all themes. identified 21 distinct across resources. There is considerable variability inconsistency regarding types level detail described measures. Of measures, nine may against both hazards simultaneously, suggesting opportunities emphasize particular messages address together. More precise, complete, coordinated would outcomes attributable co-exposures.

Language: Английский

The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels DOI

Marina Romanello,

Claudia Di Napoli, Paul Drummond

et al.

The Lancet, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 400(10363), P. 1619 - 1654

Published: Oct. 25, 2022

Language: Английский

Citations

1186
The unprecedented Pacific Northwest heatwave of June 2021 DOI Creative Commons
Rachel H. White, Sam Anderson, James F. Booth

et al.

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14(1)

Published: Feb. 9, 2023

In late June 2021 a heatwave of unprecedented magnitude impacted the Pacific Northwest region Canada and United States. Many locations broke all-time maximum temperature records by more than 5 °C, Canadian national record was broken 4.6 with new 49.6 °C. Here, we provide comprehensive summary this event its impacts. Upstream diabatic heating played key role in anomaly. Weather forecasts provided advanced notice event, while sub-seasonal showed an increased likelihood heat extreme lead times 10-20 days. The impacts were catastrophic, including hundreds attributable deaths across Northwest, mass-mortalities marine life, reduced crop fruit yields, river flooding from rapid snow glacier melt, substantial increase wildfires-the latter contributing to landslides months following. These examples can learn vivid depiction how climate change be so devastating.

Language: Английский

Citations

211
The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence, and its Implications DOI Creative Commons
Emma Lawrance, Rhiannon Thompson, Jessica Newberry Le Vay

et al.

International Review of Psychiatry, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 34(5), P. 443 - 498

Published: July 4, 2022

Converging global evidence highlights the dire consequences of climate change for human mental health and wellbeing. This paper summarises literature across relevant disciplines to provide a comprehensive narrative review multiple pathways through which interacts with Climate acts as risk amplifier by disrupting conditions known support good health, including socioeconomic, cultural environmental conditions, living working conditions. The disruptive influence rising temperatures extreme weather events, such experiencing heatwave or water insecurity, compounds existing stressors experienced individuals communities. has deleterious effects on people's is particularly acute those groups already disadvantaged within countries. Awareness experiences escalating threats inaction can generate understandable psychological distress; though strong emotional responses also motivate action. We highlight opportunities communities cope act change. Consideration interconnected impacts their determinants must inform evidence-based interventions. Appropriate action that centres justice reduce current future burden, while simultaneously improving nurture wellbeing equality. presented adds further weight need decisive decision makers all scales.

Language: Английский

Citations

208
Unprecedented 21st century heat across the Pacific Northwest of North America DOI Creative Commons

Karen J. Heeter,

Grant L. Harley, John T. Abatzoglou

et al.

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 6(1)

Published: Feb. 17, 2023

Abstract Extreme summer temperatures are increasingly common across the Northern Hemisphere and inflict severe socioeconomic biological consequences. In 2021, Pacific Northwest region of North America (PNW) experienced a 2-week-long extreme heatwave, which contributed to record-breaking temperatures. Here, we use tree-ring records show that in as well rate summertime warming during last several decades, unprecedented within context millennium for PNW. absence committed efforts curtail anthropogenic emissions below intermediate levels (SSP2–4.5), climate model projections indicate rapidly increasing risk PNW regularly experiencing 2021-like temperatures, with 50% chance yearly occurrence by 2050. The 2021 provide benchmark impetus communities historically temperate climates account heat-related impacts change adaptation strategies.

Language: Английский

Citations

46
Effects of Daylong Exposure to Indoor Overheating on Thermal and Cardiovascular Strain in Older Adults: A Randomized Crossover Trial DOI Creative Commons
Robert D. Meade, Ashley P. Akerman, Sean R. Notley

et al.

Environmental Health Perspectives, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 132(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2024

Health agencies recommend that homes of heat-vulnerable occupants (e.g., older adults) be maintained below 24-28°C to prevent heat-related mortality and morbidity. However, there is limited experimental evidence support these recommendations.

Language: Английский

Citations

22
A critical review of the effectiveness of electric fans as a personal cooling intervention in hot weather and heatwaves DOI Creative Commons
Robert D. Meade, Sean R. Notley, Nathalie V. Kirby

et al.

The Lancet Planetary Health, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 8(4), P. e256 - e269

Published: April 1, 2024

Health agencies worldwide have historically cautioned that electric fans accelerate body-heat gain during hot weather and heatwaves (typically in air temperatures ≥35°C). However, guidance published since 2021 has suggested can still cool the body up to 40°C by facilitating sweat evaporation, therefore are an inexpensive yet sustainable alternative conditioning. In a critical analysis of reports cited support this claim, we found although fan use improves these benefits insufficient magnitude exert meaningful reductions core temperature exceeding 35°C. should continue advise against higher than 35°C, especially for people with compromised sweating capacity (eg, adults aged 65 years or older). Improving access ambient cooling strategies conditioning evaporative coolers) minimising their economic environmental costs through policy initiatives, efficient technology, combined low-cost personal interventions skin wetting use) crucial climate adaptation.

Language: Английский

Citations

20
Temperature projections and heatwave attribution scenarios over India: A systematic review DOI Creative Commons
Khaiwal Ravindra, Sanjeev Bhardwaj, Chhotu Ram

et al.

Heliyon, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 10(4), P. e26431 - e26431

Published: Feb. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

19
Mortality impacts of the most extreme heat events DOI Creative Commons
Tom Matthews, Colin Raymond, Josh Foster

et al.

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 4, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

3
The existential risk space of climate change DOI Creative Commons
Christian Huggel, Laurens M. Bouwer, Sirkku Juhola

et al.

Climatic Change, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 174(1-2)

Published: Sept. 1, 2022

Climate change is widely recognized as a major risk to societies and natural ecosystems but the high end of risk, i.e., where risks become existential, poorly framed, defined, analyzed in scientific literature. This gap at odds with fundamental relevance existential for humanity, it also limits ability communities engage emerging debates narratives about dimension climate that have recently gained considerable traction. paper intends address this by scoping defining related change. We first review context change, drawing on research fields global catastrophic risks, key so-called Reasons Concern reports Intergovernmental Panel Change. consider how are framed civil society movement well what can be learned respect from COVID-19 crisis. To better frame we propose define them those threaten existence subject, subject an individual person, community, or nation state humanity. The threat their defined two levels severity: conditions (1) survival (2) basic human needs. A third level, well-being, commonly not part space risks. Our definition covers range different scales, which leads us into further six analytical dimensions: physical social processes involved, systems affected, magnitude, spatial scale, timing, probability occurrence. In conclusion, suggest clearer more precise framing such offer here facilitates analysis societal political discourse action.

Language: Английский

Citations

60
How Unexpected Was the 2021 Pacific Northwest Heatwave? DOI Creative Commons
Karen A. McKinnon, Isla R. Simpson

Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 49(18)

Published: Sept. 16, 2022

Abstract The 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave featured record‐smashing high temperatures, raising questions about whether extremes are changing faster than the mean, and challenging our ability to estimate probability of event. Here, we identify draw on strong relationship between climatological higher‐order statistics temperature (skewness kurtosis) magnitude extreme events quantify likelihood comparable using a large climate model ensemble (Community Earth System Model version 2 Large Ensemble [CESM2‐LE]). In general, CESM2 can simulate anomalies as those observed in 2021, but they rare: that exceed 4.5 σ occur with an approximate frequency one hundred thousand years. historical data does not indicate upper tail is warming mean; however, future projections for locations similar moments do show significant positive trends most events.

Language: Английский

Citations

54