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Climate
Change & the
Health of our
Children
Prof. Dulanie Gunasekera
University of Sri Jayawardenapura
Climate Change“A change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to
human activity, that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and that is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable periods of time.”*
* Article 1 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 1992
** Lancet series
Green House Gases
CO2- major component
Methane – 20 times potent as CO2- (main
source- cattle)
N2O(agriculture)
Industrial gases – HFC, PFC, SF6
Changes
Global warming: Ambient Temp. rise
Melting ice cap: Sea level rise/coastal flooding
Extreme Weather events – cyclones
floods
droughts
Poor air quality
Ozone layer destruction –solar irradiation(UV)
Why Worry?
Affects us more – island nations
Low/mid income countries
Vulnerable populations – poor, old,children
150,000 deaths (globally) – 88% children*(2000)
(*Sheffield & Landrigan – Env. Health Perspectives -
March 2000)
Rainfall-Sri Lanka
Rainfall Variability
Increasing Dry Days – dry zone
Single Day High Rainfall – wet zone
Extreme Weather Events
Increasing Flooding/ earth slips – wet zone
Low/ missed seasonal rains – longer
drought in dry zone
Cyclones
Sea – storm surges
Sea level rise-SL
Coastal erosion - at 0.5m/yr
Rate of accretion – 0.2m/yr
Sea water intrusion → destruction of fresh
water resources / fresh water life
eg. Muturajawela wetlands
Why children?
Larger surface area
Less heat adaptive mechanisms
Consume more food & water/Kg body wt.
Longer life span
In utero period – vulnerable to environ.
toxins
No decision making powers
Direct Effects- Temperature Rise
High Temperature - heat stroke
Urban “Heat Island” Effect – raises temp by 5C
temp rise > 20C: each 2C → 2.6% increase in
mortality in children (Brazil)*
*chapter 8- population dynamics and climate
change – UNFPA
Direct Effects - Extreme Events
Floods/ landslides
Cyclones
Drought
Results –
Death/Injury,
loss of lively hood, lack of food / water
→ forced migration, poverty, conflict
Indirect Effects
Increase in -
Water borne diseases
vector borne diseases
Respiratory diseases (wheezing)
Lung/skin cancer
Psychological social problems – mental
health
Diarrheal & other GI Diseases
Higher Mortality
Floods/Droughts
Poor Quality of Water
Higher Temperatures
*Protecting health from cc: Connecting science, WHO 2009
**Water supply, sanitation and hygiene Sanitation Report Series,
No. 1. World Bank, Washington
Vector Borne Diseases
Dengue- depends on rainfall variations
(2013/4 Worst DHF epidemic-?)
Major mortality < 25 yrs
Leptospirosis
Poor Air Quality- Air pollution
High temperatures – increased aero
allergens → ↑ resp problems eg. BA
Study @ LRH:
↑ particulate matter (PM10) in air* :↑Wheezing
*Senanayake MP et al: SL Journal of Child Health, 2001; 30: 66-8
Indoor Air Pollution
Reduced/costly fossil fuel → increase use of biofuel → indoor & outdoor air pollution
Biofuel burning → indoor air pollution → inc. in wheezing
50% deaths from ALRI (U-5 age) → due to indoor air pollution*
Study: Galle: Chandhigar **:
kerosene: gas cooking → wheezing X2 more in Galle
* WHO fact sheet 292(2009)**Mistry R, wickremasinghe N et al:Eur J Pediatr 2004, 163(3):145-147
Mitigation/Adaptation - SL
The National CC Policy of Sri Lanka
Goal – mitigation/adaptation to CC
The Research Program on CC-
Agriculture and Food Security (CGIAR)
- influence the CC policy in Sri Lanka
- Raised awareness about the implications cc
(source : www.unhabitat.lk/downloads)
Mitigation/Adaptation - SL
The Ministry of Environment
“ Sri Lanka Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2011-2016”
Disaster Management Centre (DMC)
Mitigation, Research and Development division
Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) - Early Warning Dissemination for natural disasters
“Climatenet” - Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka – networking CC Policy in Sri Lanka
(source: http://www.ips.lk/climatenet/index.html)
Adaptation – need to
Disaster preparedness & management - DMC
Disease surveillance /Mx– diarrhoea
resp diseases
vector borne diseases
strengthen epidemic management – DHF
Improve nutrition – routine supplementation
emergency food supply
control food prices – in disasters
Mitigation/Adaptation-Global
Ratification of UNFCCC* -1994- prevent harmful changes to climate
Kyoto Protocol- 1997- Carbon emission reduction targets- 5% by 2012, 18% by 2020 –
“Carbon Trading”
Warsaw 2013 – universal agreement on CC(2015)
*United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change