Climate Change and Human Health
400
Emission of other GHGs
350
2500
300
2000
250
200
1500
150
1000
100
50
500
0
1980
2002
2010
2020
2030
CO2 emissions per GDP (tonnes per USD million)
0
1990
1995
2000
2005
CH4
CO2 emissions per capita (tonnes per capita)
Source: APERC (2006)
2010
2015
2020
N2O
Source: EPA (2006)
Figure 3. Carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity in the Philippines.
Table 2. Diagrammatic Representation of Pathways Depicting How Climate Change Affects Human Health. Adapted from
Haines, et al, 2004.17
Natural and Human
Influences
Climate variability
and change
Regional and local weather
change
Extreme weather
precipitation temperature
Change in sea level
Change in intermediate
effects
None
Air pollution concentration
and distribution
Pollen production
Microbial contamination
and transmission
Crop yields
Coastal flooding;
Coastal aquifer salinity
Adverse health effects
Health related illnesses and deaths
Extreme weather-related health effects
Air pollution-related health effects
Allergic diseases
Infectious diseases (water-borne, food-borne,
vector-borne and rodent-borne disease)
Malnutrition
Storm-surge-related drowning ad injuries
Health problems of displaced populations
Table 3. Diagrammatic Representation of the Direct and Indirect Health Impacts of Climate Change. Adapted from Martens, 1998.19
Climate change
Direct
Indirect
Thermal stress
Ecological mediation
Vector-borne diseases
Marine-borne diseases
Food productivity
Air pollution
Weather disasters sea-level rise
Cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality
Malaria, Dengue, Schistosomiasis
Toxic algae and cholera
Malnutrition
Asthma and cardiorespiratory diseases
Deaths, injuries, damage to health infrastructure, increased risk of infectious diseases, conflicts
Health Impacts of Climate Change
Table 2 shows the epidemiologic framework in
understanding the impact of climate change to overall
human health, including both the immediate and secondary
impacts. Immediate effects of climate change include
extreme weather patterns and sea level rise. Secondary
effects include changes in air pollution concentration and
distribution causing pollution-related health effects,
decreased agricultural productivity that may result in
famine and malnutrition, pollen production that causes
VOL. 50 NO. 2 2016
allergic syndromes, and microbial contamination and
transmission that cause infectious diseases.16
Table 3 shows a diagrammatic representation of the
direct and indirect health impacts of climate change as well
as the various types of diseases that could develop. For
instance, thermal stresses due to climate change could lead
to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.18
Table 4 summarizes the climate-related health impacts.
The increased probability of climate change could result in
an increased rate and incidence of corollary health impacts,
whether direct or indirect, and short term or long term.
ACTA MEDICA PHILIPPINA 93