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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2024) | Viewed by 23931

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Dr. Antonia Kaltsatou

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FAME Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece
Interests: exercise physiology; clinical exercise physiology; environmental physiology; cooling therapy; heat stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Undoubtedly, climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century, with enormous consequences for humanity. Rising temperatures have been observed all over the world considerably and have become a growing challenge for our community. Problems are already experienced by millions of people during the summertime and aggravated during heat waves, particularly in occupational settings. The Special Issue of IJERPH aims to contribute to our understanding of how climate change and different environmental factors impact human health, especially patients with chronic conditions who are consistently the most vulnerable population to heat exposure. All topics related to climate change and health are welcome. In addition to original research, we also welcome the submission of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, as well as manuscripts dealing with research methodologies and data processing. By building on previous research and expanding our knowledge on how different environmental factors impact human health, this Special Issue will enhance our understanding of how climate change affects public health.

Dr. Antonia Kaltsatou
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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 change
health
heat-waves
heat-stress
cooling therapy
occupational health
chronic diseases

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Climatic Factors on Temporal Mosquito Distribution and Population Dynamics in an Area Targeted for Sterile Insect Technique Pilot Trials

by Theresa Taona Mazarire, Leanne Lobb, Solomon Wakshom Newete and Givemore Munhenga

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(5), 558; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21050558 - 28 Apr 2024

Viewed by 580

Abstract

It is widely accepted that climate affects the mosquito life history traits; however, its precise role in determining mosquito distribution and population dynamics is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of various climatic factors on the temporal distribution of Anopheles arabiensis populations in Mamfene, South Africa between 2014 and 2019. Time series analysis, wavelet analysis, cross-correlation analysis, and regression model combined with the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model were utilized to assess the relationship between climatic factors and An. arabiensis population density. In total 3826 adult An. arabiensis collected was used for the analysis. ARIMA (0, 1, 2) (0, 0, 1)₁₂ models closely described the trends observed in An. arabiensis population density and distribution. The wavelet coherence and time-lagged correlation analysis showed positive correlations between An. arabiensis population density and temperature (r = 0.537 ), humidity (r = 0.495) and rainfall (r = 0.298) whilst wind showed negative correlations (r = −0.466). The regression model showed that temperature (p = 0.00119), rainfall (p = 0.0436), and humidity (p = 0.0441) as significant predictors for forecasting An. arabiensis abundance. The extended ARIMA model (AIC = 102.08) was a better fit for predicting An. arabiensis abundance compared to the basic model. Anopheles arabiensis still remains the predominant malaria vector in the study area and climate variables were found to have varying effects on the distribution and abundance of An. arabiensis. This necessitates other complementary vector control strategies such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) which involves releasing sterile males into the environment to reduce mosquito populations. This requires timely mosquito and climate information to precisely target releases and enhance the effectiveness of the program, consequently reducing the malaria risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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15 pages, 3348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Human Rabies Cases in Brazil in Different Future Global Warming Scenarios

by Jessica Milena Moura Neves, Vinicius Silva Belo, Cristina Maria Souza Catita, Beatriz Fátima Alves de Oliveira and Marco Aurelio Pereira Horta

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(2), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020212 - 11 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1856

Abstract

Bat species have been observed to have the potential to expand their distribution in response to climate change, thereby influencing shifts in the spatial distribution and population dynamics of human rabies cases. In this study, we applied an ensemble niche modeling approach to project climatic suitability under different future global warming scenarios for human rabies cases in Brazil, and assessed the impact on the probability of emergence of new cases. We obtained notification records of human rabies cases in all Brazilian cities from January 2001 to August 2023, as reported by the State and Municipal Health Departments. The current and future climate data were sourced from a digital repository on the WorldClim website. The future bioclimatic variables provided were downscaled climate projections from CMIP6 (a global model ensemble) and extracted from the regionalized climate model HadGEM3-GC31-LL for three future socioeconomic scenarios over four periods (2021–2100). Seven statistical algorithms (MAXENT, MARS, RF, FDA, CTA, GAM, and GLM) were selected for modeling human rabies. Temperature seasonality was the bioclimatic variable with the highest relative contribution to both current and future consensus models. Future scenario modeling for human rabies indicated a trend of changes in the areas of occurrence, maintaining the current pace of global warming, population growth, socioeconomic instability, and the loss of natural areas. In Brazil, there are areas with a higher likelihood of climatic factors contributing to the emergence of cases. When assessing future scenarios, a change in the local climatic suitability is observed that may lead to a reduction or increase in cases, depending on the region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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16 pages, 996 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Annals of Education: Teaching Climate Change and Global Public Health

by William N. Rom

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010041 - 27 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1694

Abstract

The climate crisis is a health emergency: breaking temperature records every successive month, increasing mortality from hurricanes/cyclones resulting in >USD150 billion/year in damages, and mounting global loss of life from floods, droughts, and food insecurity. An entire course on climate change and global public health was envisioned, designed for students in public health, and delivered to Masters level students. The course content included the physical science behind global heating, heat waves, extreme weather disasters, arthropod-related diseases, allergies, air pollution epidemiology, melting ice and sea level rise, climate denialism, renewable energy and economics, social cost of carbon, and public policy. The methods included student engagement in presenting two air pollution epidemiological or experimental papers on fossil fuel air pollution. Second, they authored a mid-term paper on a specific topic in the climate crisis facing their locale, e.g., New York City. Third, they focused on a State, evaluating their climate change laws and their plans to harness renewable wind, solar, storage, nuclear, and geothermal energy. Students elsewhere covered regional entities’ approach to renewable energy. Fourth, the global impact was presented by student teams presenting a country’s nationally determined contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement. Over 200 Master’s students completed the course; the participation and feedback demonstrated markedly improved knowledge and evaluation of the course over time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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14 pages, 685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Pilot Literacy Scale to Assess Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors towards Climate Change and Infectious Disease Dynamics in Suriname

by Meghan Matlack, Hannah Covert, Arti Shankar, Wilco Zijlmans, Firoz Abdoel Wahid, Ashna Hindori-Mohangoo and Maureen Lichtveld

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(24), 7178; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20247178 - 14 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1474

Abstract

Prior research has shown that climate literacy is sparse among low- and middle-income countries. Additionally, no standardized questionnaire exists for researchers to measure climate literacy among general populations, particularly with regards to climate change effects on vector-borne diseases (VBDs). We developed a comprehensive literacy scale to assess current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards climate change and VBD dynamics among women enrolled in the Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) cohort in Suriname. Items were generated by our research team and reviewed by a group of six external climate and health experts. After the expert review, a total of 31 climate change and 21 infectious disease items were retained. We estimated our sample size at a 10:1 ratio of participants to items for each scale. In total, 301 women were surveyed. We validated our scales through exploratory (n = 180) and confirmatory factor analyses (n = 121). An exploratory factor analysis for our general Climate Change Scale provided a four-construct solution of 11 items. Our chi-squared value (X² = 74.32; p = 0.136) indicated that four factors were sufficient. A confirmatory factor analysis reinforced our findings, providing a good model fit (X² = 39.03; p = 0.23; RMSEA = 0.015). Our Infectious Disease Scale gave a four-construct solution of nine items (X² = 153.86; p = 0.094). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed these results, with a chi-squared value of 19.16 (p = 0.575) and an RMSEA of 0.00. This research is vitally important for furthering climate and health education, especially with increases in VBDs spread by Aedes mosquitoes in the Caribbean, South America, and parts of the southern United States. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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12 pages, 3825 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Thermal Stress in Korea Using Climate-Based Indicators: Present-Day and Future Projections from 1 km High Resolution Scenarios

by Hyun Min Sung, Jae-Hee Lee, Jin-Uk Kim, Sungbo Shim, Chu-Yong Chung and Young-Hwa Byun

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(17), 6694; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20176694 - 31 Aug 2023

Viewed by 958

Abstract

Among the various thermal stress indices, apparent temperature (AT) is closely related to public health indicators, and consequently is widely used by weather agencies around the world. Therefore, in this paper we estimate the changes in AT and contributing components in Korea as a whole and in five major cities (Seoul, Gwanju, Daegu, Daejeon, and Busan) using national standard climate scenarios based on the coupled model inter-comparison project (CMIP6). In the present day, high AT occurs in major cities due to high temperature (TAS) and relative humidity (RH). Our findings reveal that even when TAS is relatively low, large AT occurs with higher humidity. Notably, in future warmer climate conditions, high AT may first appear in the five major cities and then extend to the surrounding areas. An increase in TAS and RH during the pre-hot season (March to June) may lead to earlier occurrence of thermal risks in future warmer climate conditions and more frequent occurrence of high thermal stress events. Our study can serve as a reference for future information on thermal risk changes in Korea. Considering those who have not adapted to high temperature environments, our findings imply that thermal risks will become more serious and that heat adaptation strategies will be needed during the pre-hot season under future warmer climate conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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16 pages, 416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Intersection of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the 2021 Heat Dome in Canadian Digital News Media: A Content Analysis

by Emily J. Tetzlaff, Nicholas Goulet, Melissa Gorman, Gregory R. A. Richardson and Glen P. Kenny

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(17), 6674; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20176674 - 29 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1937

Abstract

During the 2021 Heat Dome, 619 people in British Columbia died due to the heat. This public health disaster was made worse by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have explored the intersection of heat with COVID-19, and none in Canada. Considering that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme heat events, it is important to improve our understanding of intersecting public health crises. Thus, this study aimed to explore media-based public health communication in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 Heat Dome. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on a subset of media articles (n = 520) related to the COVID-19 pandemic which were identified through a previous media analysis on the 2021 Heat Dome (n = 2909). Many of the articles provided conflicting health messages that may have confused the public about which health protective actions to take. The articles also showed how the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated the health impacts of the 2021 Heat Dome, as pandemic-related public health measures may have deterred people away from protecting themselves from heat. This study, which provides novel insight into the prioritization of public health messaging when an extreme heat event occurs concurrently with a pandemic, supports the need for consistent heat health guidance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

16 pages, 7150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining the Impact of Heatwaves on Emergency Ambulance Calls in Queensland: A Retrospective Population-Based Study

by Hannah M. Mason, Jemma C. King, Amy E. Peden, Kerrianne Watt, Emma Bosley, Gerard Fitzgerald, John Nairn, Lauren Miller, Nicole Mandalios and Richard C. Franklin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4875; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064875 - 10 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2721

Abstract

Heatwaves are a significant and growing threat to the health and well-being of the residents of Queensland, Australia. This threat is increasing due to climate change. Excess heat increases the demand for health services, including ambulance calls, and the purpose of this study was to explore this impact across Queensland. A state-wide retrospective analysis of heatwaves and emergency ‘Triple Zero’ (000) calls to Queensland Ambulance (QAS) from 2010–2019 was undertaken. Call data from the QAS and heatwave data from the Bureau of Meteorology were analysed using a case-crossover approach at the postcode level. Ambulance calls increased by 12.68% during heatwaves. The effect was greatest during low-severity heatwaves (22.16%), followed by severe (14.32%) and extreme heatwaves (1.16%). The impact varied by rurality, with those living in very remote areas and major cities most impacted, along with those of low and middle socioeconomic status during low and severe intensity heat events. Lag effects post-heatwave continued for at least 10 days. Heatwaves significantly increase ambulance call centre workload, so ambulance services must actively prepare resources and personnel to address increases in heatwave frequency, duration, and severity. Communities must be informed of the risks of heatwaves at all severities, particularly low severity, and the sustained risks in the days following a heat event. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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21 pages, 7391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mean Temperature and Drought Projections in Central Africa: A Population-Based Study of Food Insecurity, Childhood Malnutrition and Mortality, and Infectious Disease

by Munum Hassan, Kinza Saif, Muhammad Saad Ijaz, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Karla Robles-Velasco and Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2697; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032697 - 02 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2174

Abstract

The Central African Region is an agricultural and fishing-based economy, with 40% of the population living in rural communities. The negative impacts of climate change have caused economic/health-related adverse impacts and food insecurity. This original article aims to research four key themes: (i) acute food insecurity (AFI); (ii) childhood malnutrition and mortality; (iii) infectious disease burden; and (iv) drought and mean temperature projections throughout the twenty-first century. Food insecurity was mapped in Central Africa based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for AFI. The global hunger index (GHI) was presented along with the proportion of children with undernourishment, stunting, wasting, and mortality. Data for infectious disease burden was computed by assessing the adjusted rate of change (AROC) of mortality due to diarrhea among children and the burden of death rates due to pneumonia across all age groups. Finally, the mean drought index was computed through the year 2100. This population-based study identifies high levels of hunger across a majority of the countries, with the mean drought index suggesting extreme ends of wet and dry days and an overall rise of 1–3 °C. This study is a source of evidence for stakeholders, policymakers, and the population residing in Central Africa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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11 pages, 681 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Health—A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

by Katharina van Baal, Stephanie Stiel and Peter Schulte

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1464; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021464 - 13 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2360

Abstract

Climate change is inseparably linked to human health. Although there is growing awareness of the threats to human health caused by climate change, it remains unclear how the German population perceives the relevance of climate change and its health consequences. Between May and September 2022, German residents were invited to participate in a cross-sectional online survey that explored three content areas: (1) the relevance of climate change, (2) health risks in connection with climate change and (3) collective and individual options for action against climate change. A total of 697 full data sets were collected for analysis (72% female, 51% ≥55 years old). The majority of participants agreed that human-induced climate change exists (85%), and that it has an impact on human health (83%). They also perceived the global population to be more strongly impacted by climate change than themselves (89% versus 68%). Most participants (76%) claimed to personally contribute to climate protection and 23% felt that their city or council contributed to climate protection. Although the majority of participants saw climate change as a threat to human health, they perceived other population groups to be most strongly affected. Cognitive dissonance might explain this lack of individual concern and one approach to addressing such distorted perceptions might be the dissemination of appropriate risk communication with health professionals involved in the communication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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27 pages, 4178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Road to Net Zero Health Care Systems: Governance for Sustainable Health Care in the United Kingdom and Germany

by Léa Weimann and Edda Weimann

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12167; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912167 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3818

Abstract

Health care lies at the forefront of the impacts of climate change. Since the health sector is a major polluting and emission intensive sector, it remains a crucial challenge to address sustainability. The English National Health System (NHS) aims to be the first in the world to achieve net zero in all emission classes (Scope 1–3). In Germany, sustainability in health care is being driven bottom-up, while the Federal Ministry of Health at the time of the research in early 2021 takes no active stance on a net zero health care system. This article analyses the approaches to sustainability in the two different health care systems, explores common challenges, and draws recommendations to support the transition of the sector to a net zero future. An exploratory mixed method approach was taken applying qualitative and quantitative methods. This includes high-level expert interviews and an online survey from the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany. Results reveal the complex nature of health care systems and the need for engraining a systems-thinking approach. The findings call for the legal embedding of sustainability into the key principles of health care in Germany, endorses the ambition of the national health care systems in the UK, recommends collaborative cross-sector approaches for sustainability, and highlights the need for increased public awareness on the interrelation between human and planetary health to enable governance for sustainable health care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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17 pages, 412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Health Aspects of Climate Change Adaptation in Three Cities: A Qualitative Study

by Gloria Macassa, Ana Isabel Ribeiro, Anneli Marttila, Frida Stål, José Pedro Silva, Michelle Rydback, Mamunur Rashid and Henrique Barros

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10292; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610292 - 18 Aug 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2811

Abstract

Climate change presents an unprecedented public health challenge as it has a great impact on population health outcomes across the global population. The key to addressing these health challenges is adaptation carried out in cities through collaboration between institutions, including public health ones. Through semi-structured interviews (n = 16), this study investigated experiences and perceptions of what public health aspects are considered by urban and public health planners and researchers when planning climate change adaptation in the coastal cities of Söderhamn (Sweden), Porto (Portugal) and Navotas (the Philippines). Results of the thematic analysis indicated that participating stakeholders were aware of the main climate risks threatening their cities (rising water levels and flooding, extreme temperatures, and air pollution). In addition, the interviewees talked about collaboration with other sectors, including the public health sector, in implementing climate change adaptation plans. However, the inclusion of the public health sector as a partner in the process was identified in only two cities, Navotas and Porto. Furthermore, the study found that there were few aspects pertaining to public health (water and sanitation, prevention of heat-related and water-borne diseases, and prevention of the consequences associated with heat waves in vulnerable groups such as children and elderly persons) in the latest climate change adaptation plans posted on each city’s website. Moreover, participants pointed to different difficulties: insufficient financial resources, limited intersectoral collaboration for climate change adaptation, and lack of involvement of the public health sector in the adaptation processes, especially in one of the cities in which climate change adaptation was solely the responsibility of the urban planners. Studies using larger samples of stakeholders in larger cities are needed to better understand why the public health sector is still almost absent in efforts to adapt to climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Climate Change and Public Health)

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