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Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future

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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 25703

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Dr. Alfredo Rocha

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Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Physics, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: numerical weather and climate modelling; climate variability and change; extreme weather events; Climate and health; meteorology and wind and solar energy production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Mónica Rodrigues

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Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Centre of Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning, 3004-530 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: modelling; environment; climate variability and change; extreme weather events; environmental health; health impact assessment; vulnerability assessment; impact evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, several countries have focused on the projected scale of health impacts caused by climate change. The magnitude of health impacts and outcomes of climate change indicate a function of several interactions that occur during exposure to climate change-related variations in different weather patterns. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the intensity and frequency of extreme events, such as storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires, are changing due to weather variability. These changes have an adverse impact on human health and wellbeing, health systems, and exacerbate health inequities that already exist within vulnerable populations.

This Special Issue aims to provide insight into innovative knowledge and tools on climate-related health risks by identifying the factors inherent to climate vulnerability, thereby considering the impact of climate change on human health, which entails the identification of vulnerable populations and communities with associated vulnerabilities.

Prof. Dr. Alfredo Rocha
Dr. Mónica Rodrigues
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Climate variability and change
Extreme weather and climate events
Public health
Vulnerability
Health inequities
Health systems
Transformational Resilience
Climate change adaptation
Community-based research
Sustainable development

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 218 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future

by Mónica Rodrigues and Alfredo Rocha

Atmosphere 2023, 14(8), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081250 - 07 Aug 2023

Viewed by 975

Abstract

Several research studies in the literature have alerted us to the impacts of climate variability and change, extreme weather and climate events on people’s health [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

Research

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16 pages, 1377 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Projections of Cause-Specific Mortality and Demographic Changes under Climate Change in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area: A Modelling Framework

by Mónica Rodrigues

Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050775 - 24 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1564

Abstract

Climate change and related events, such as rising temperatures and extreme weather, threaten population health and well-being. This study quantified the impact of climate change on temperature-related, cause-specific mortality while considering adaptations and future demographic changes in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal. A distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was applied to quantify the burden of temperature-related mortality during the present (or reference, 1986–2005) scenario and a future scenario (2046–2065). There was an increase of 0.33% in temperature-related excess mortality (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.59) and significantly lower all-cause deaths in the future. These measurements were attributable to extreme cold and considered an adaptation threshold of 1 °C with no population changes, resulting in an estimated net difference of −0.15% (95% CI: −0.26 to −0.02), a threshold of 1 °C with a high population scenario of −0.15% (95% CI: −0.26 to −0.01), and a threshold of 1 °C with a low population scenario of −0.15% (95% CI: −0.26 to −0.01). Moderate cold exposure under a threshold of 1 °C and a high population scenario reduced future temperature-related deaths and diabetes mellitus (−1.32, 95% CI: −2.65 to 0.23). Similarly, moderate heat exposure under a threshold of 4 °C and a high population scenario had the highest increase in net changes (6.75, 95% CI: −5.06 to 15.32). The net difference in AF% was due to ischemic heart disease, which was the highest for moderate heat exposure with an adaptation threshold of 4 °C only. It decreased slightly with increasing adaptation levels. The most significant increase in net differences for temperature-related excess deaths occurred in respiratory diseases and was associated with heat. A significant decline in net differences was also observed in excess cold-related deaths due to respiratory disease. These findings contribute to the discussion of how climate change impacts human health. Furthermore, they can help guide and monitor adaptation policies in response to climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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13 pages, 1933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Step to Develop Heat-Health Action Plan: Assessing Heat Waves’ Impacts on Mortality

by Hazal Cansu Çulpan, Ümit Şahin and Günay Can

Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2126; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122126 - 18 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3067

Abstract

Climate change is one of the biggest health threats facing humanity and can directly affect human health through heat waves. This study aims to evaluate excess deaths during heat waves between the summer months of 2004 and 2017 in Istanbul and to determine a definition of heat waves that can be used in the development of an early warning system, a part of prospective urban heat-health action plans. In this study, heat waves were determined using the Excess Heat Factor, an index based on a three-day-averaged daily mean temperature. The death rates during heat waves and non-heat wave days of the summer months were compared with a Z test of the difference of natural logarithms. Thirty heat waves were recorded in Istanbul during the summer months of 2004–2017. In 67% of the heat waves, the death rate was significantly higher than the reference period and 4281 excess deaths were recorded. The mortality risk was especially higher during heat waves of higher intensity. The study showed an excess risk of mortality during heat waves in Istanbul, and the findings suggest that the Excess Heat Factor could be an appropriate tool for an early warning system in Istanbul. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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20 pages, 5520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research Themes, Trends and Future Priorities in the Field of Climate Change and Health: A Review

by Huiling Ouyang, Xu Tang and Renhe Zhang

Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2076; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122076 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1646

Abstract

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to human living and health in the 21st century. Whilst a large number of papers have been published addressing the health impact of climate change, there is a lack of comprehensive bibliometric analysis in the crosscutting field. This study evaluated the global scientific output of research in the field of climate change and health between 1990 and 2020, based on the Web of Science Core Collection database. Research themes were identified using a social network analysis technique based on author keywords. Research trends were assessed by the change in overall publication number and the percentage of publications in each research theme. Articles were further categorized by the availability of funding and author affiliation to compare the difference between developed and developing countries. Results showed that the research output in the field of climate change and health has increased dramatically in the past 30 years, mainly dominated by researchers in developed countries. The percentage of research receiving funding was found to be the lowest in those published by developing countries only and the highest in those published by the collaboration of developed and developing countries. A total of nine major research themes was identified. Research related to ‘risk assessment and adaptation’, ‘sustainable development’ and ‘infectious diseases’ were relatively underfunded. A significant research trend was observed between 2006 and 2020, with increased attention on research themes related to ‘risk assessment and adaptation’, ‘sustainable development’, ‘extreme events’ and ‘air pollution’, and reduced attention on research themes related to ‘ocean’, ‘infectious disease’ and ‘phenology’. The shift of the research trend was mainly driven by research in developed countries. Suggestions, recommendations and future priorities identified by experts in the field of atmospheric sciences, epidemiology, public health, climate change, environmental sciences, and policy development are also provided to guide future research. It is important to shift our focus from single health aspects to an integrated system (such as One Health framework, which considers environmental health, animal health and human health as a whole), with future research focusing more on the systemic impact of climate change in order to achieve better, more effective and efficient risk governance. More funding should be mobilized to support the research capacity building in developing countries and to support climate change adaptation strategies for sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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16 pages, 4410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Impact of Temperature Variability of Climate Change on Mortality Based on Multiple GCM Projections in China

by Xiangyi Zheng, Qingyuan Ma, Ying Wang, Xia Wang, Xinren Zhang and Qingzu Luan

Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1775; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111775 - 28 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1258

Abstract

Gradually increasing durations of high temperature caused by climate change harm the health of individuals and then lead to death. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between durations of different daily mean air-temperature categories and mortality in China and forecast future mortality changes in China for 2020–2050 under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The daily mean air temperature was divided into 10 categories, and the days under each air-temperature category were counted during the period of 2000–2015. Then, the connection between the days of each of the 10 air-temperature categories and mortality was established using the semi parametric regression model. Results indicate that the days of the >32 °C category have the largest impact on mortality in China, with the death rate increasing by 23‰ for one additional day. Predictions reveal that mortality in China will increase 25.48% and 26.26% under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. Moreover, the mortality of 86 regions in western China will increase 30.42%. Therefore, in the future, the increasing duration of days of high temperatures will raise the mortality rate in China and aggravate the mortality gap between developed and underdeveloped regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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17 pages, 2998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Drought Variability in Northeast China over Multiple Temporal and Spatial Scales

by Lin Xue, Martin Kappas, Daniel Wyss and Birgitta Putzenlechner

Atmosphere 2022, 13(9), 1506; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13091506 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1580

Abstract

Long-term drought variation provides a scientific foundation for water resource planning and drought mitigation. However, the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of drought in northeast China (NEC) are unclear. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of drought status and trends based on the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in NEC from 1990 until 2018. The findings show that: (1) the drying trend peaked in 2001, and then exhibited a mitigation tendency before drying again after 2013. The implementation of ecological restoration projects is primarily responsible for drought mitigation. (2) The areas with wetting and drying trends in the future would cover 86% and 17% of NEC, respectively. (3) There is a time lag between improved vegetation and the trend shift from dry to wet. (4) Spring and winter revealed wet trends within 71% and 84% of NEC, respectively, showing high sensitivity and resilience to drought, while 92–93% of NEC displayed dry tendencies during the summer and autumn seasons. The drought-affected area was the highest in summer and lowest in autumn. (5) The interannual drought severity was highest in May and June. (6) The highest drought impacts and trends occur within shrub and grass and sparsely vegetated land, as well as middle-temperate semiarid regions (M-semiarid). (7) The warmer the temperature zone, the more sensitive it is towards drought under the same hydrological conditions, showing a high drought-affected area. The drier the land, the higher the drought-affected area within the same temperature zone, with pronounced drought trends during the spring and summer seasons. Our findings highlight the need for the government to more explicitly develop drought mitigation strategies in accordance with NEC’s spatiotemporal drought variations and specifically the need to concentrate on droughts in M-semiarid regions occurring in summer, particularly in May and June. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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21 pages, 1875 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mortality Associated with Extreme Heat in Washington State: The Historical and Projected Public Health Burden

by Logan Arnold, Mark D. Scheuerell and Tania Busch Isaksen

Atmosphere 2022, 13(9), 1392; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13091392 - 30 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3625

Abstract

Extreme heat is one of the most important pathways illustrating the connection between climate and human health, and climate change is expected to exacerbate this public health issue. This study first used a case-crossover analysis to characterize the historical (1980–2018) association between summertime heat and non-traumatic mortality in Washington State. A separate analysis was conducted for each of the state’s ten climate divisions to produce distinct exposure–response curves expressing odds of mortality as a function of humidex. Stratified analyses were used to assess the impact of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and select causes of death, and the reported results are pooled across all divisions using meta-analysis. The historical heat–mortality relationship was combined with climate projections to estimate the impact of climate change on heat-related deaths in 2030, 2050, and 2080 under two warming scenarios. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals of mortality at the 99th percentile of humidex compared to the 50th percentile did not include the null value in four climate divisions (E Olympic Cascade Foothills, NE Olympic San Juan, Northeastern, and Puget Sound Lowlands). The statewide odds of mortality are 8% higher (6%, 10%) on 99th percentile days compared to 50th percentile days, driven primarily by an OR of 1.09 (1.06, 1.11) in the Puget Sound Lowlands. Risk is higher for women than men and for Blacks than Whites. Risk increases with age and for diabetic, circulatory, cardiovascular, ischemic, cerebrovascular, and respiratory deaths. The 95% confidence intervals of projected heat-attributable mortality did not overlap with zero in three climate divisions (E Olympic Cascade Foothills, NE Olympic San Juan, and Puget Sound Lowlands). In these three divisions, the average percent increase in heat-attributable mortality across both warming scenarios is 35%, 35%, and 603% in 2030, 2050, and 2080, respectively. This research is the most extensive study of heat-related mortality in Washington to date and can help inform public health initiatives aiming to improve present and future health outcomes in the state. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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14 pages, 783 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Rated Health, Life Balance and Feeling of Empowerment When Facing Impacts of Permafrost Thaw—A Case Study from Northern Canada

by Ulla Timlin, Justine Ramage, Susanna Gartler, Tanja Nordström and Arja Rautio

Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050789 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3545

Abstract

Climate warming in Arctic Canada, e.g., permafrost thaw, comprehensively impacts biota and the environment, which then affects the lives of people. This study aimed to investigate which perceived environmental and adaptation factors relate to self-rated well-being, quality of life, satisfaction with life (sum variable = life balance), self-rated health, and feeling of empowerment to face the changes related to permafrost thaw. The study sample was collected from one community using a questionnaire (n = 53) and analyzed by cross-tabulation. Results indicated that most participants had at least good well-being, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and a medium level of health, and over 40% assessed being empowered to face the changes related to permafrost thaw. Problems and challenges associated with permafrost thaw, e.g., health, traditional lifeways, and infrastructure, were recognized; these had impacts on life balance, feeling of empowerment, and self-rated health. Traditional knowledge regarding adaptation to face changes was seen as important. More adaptation actions from the individual to global level seemed to be needed. This study provides an overview of the situation in one area, but more research, with a larger study sample, should be conducted to achieve a deeper understanding of climate-related impacts on life and holistic well-being. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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Review

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23 pages, 346 KiB

Open AccessReview

Climate Change and Mental Health: A Review of Empirical Evidence, Mechanisms and Implications

by Katelin Crane, Linda Li, Pearl Subramanian, Elizabeth Rovit and Jianghong Liu

Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2096; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122096 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3794

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change is an existential threat whose influences continue to increase in severity. It is pivotal to understand the implications of climate change and their effects on mental health. This integrative review aims to summarize the relevant evidence examining the harm climate change may have on mental health, suggest potential mechanisms and discuss implications. Empirical evidence has begun to indicate that negative mental health outcomes are a relevant and notable consequence of climate change. Specifically, these negative outcomes range from increased rates of psychiatric diagnoses such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder to higher measures of suicide, aggression and crime. Potential mechanisms are thought to include neuroinflammatory responses to stress, maladaptive serotonergic receptors and detrimental effects on one’s own physical health, as well as the community wellbeing. While climate change and mental health are salient areas of research, the evidence examining an association is limited. Therefore, further work should be conducted to delineate exact pathways of action to explain the mediators and mechanisms of the interaction between climate change and mental health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Health: Insight into a Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Future)

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