Read the summary and the most important questions on Environmental determinants: Climate change and public health

• Summary of everything

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• What are the environmental factors that affect public health?

  Natural: Floods, droughts, etc
  Physical: Safe water and clean air
  Cultural: Dropping down trees in mountains to be able to ski
  Demographic: Elderly and young people are more vulnerable groups
  Economic: Industry
  Political: War, Government
  Sustained: Solar power
  Regulatory: Legislations on climate change, policies
  Technological: Electromagnetic fiels, nanotechnology, recycling.

• What are (non-health) consequences of climate change

  Melting ice
  Sea level rise
  Changes in average temp
  Extreme weather (heatwaves, floods, etc.)
  Loss of biodiversity
  Decreasing water availability
  Heavy costs
  Trees are flowering sooner

• How is evidence for climate change established?

  Data collected by satelites
  Measurement of sealevels, temperature, greenhouse gasses
  Research

• Which institutions does especially focus on climate change and what is its role?

  The Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC)
  Role: Assessing climate change

• What legislations, pacts and agreements exist for climate change in Europe?

  DG Clima (2010): department of the EU that focus on CC and lead negotiations about the topic
  European CC Program: Limits carbon dioxide emiisions and improves energy efficiency
  2030 Framework for Climate and Energy policies (2014): Reducing GHG by at least 40%

• What are health consequences of climate change?

  Dehydration
  Heat exhaustion
  Cramps
  Headaches
  Dizziness
  weakness
  fatigue
  Higher mortality rate (excess deaths occurs after the second and third day of heat wave)

• What are the most vulnerable population groups at risk?

  Determinants: Age, medical condition, personal characteristics
  Children
  Adults with cardiovascular diseases
  Elderly
  Impaired cognition
  With certain medication hydration
  Living alone
  Who live on a higher floor
  Without AC
  With asthma
  Without a house
  With chronic diseases

• What are the most vulnerable areas?

  Urban areas
  Urban heat islands
  Low altitude regions in southern Europe and Mediterranean Europe 
  Buldings and roads are absorbing the heat, but green areas and concrete will save the heat.
  
  So 4 main strategies for making areas less vulnerable:
  Creating eco-roofs
  Installing reflecting roofs
  Using cool pavements
  Increasing vegetative

• What are major influencing factors of heat waves?

  Duration
  Time of appearance
  Humidity
  Pressure trends
  Geographic area
  Temperature
  O3 (ozone) concentration level)

• What is a vector borne disease

  A disease that can only transfer from host to host with help from an organism like ticks, mosquitoes