EH Research paper

Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEFORESTATION AND ITS EFFECT

Climate Change and Deforestation and

its Effect on Global Public Health

Autumn Funderburg

Ohio University

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEFORESTATION AND ITS EFFECT ON GLOBAL

Hippocrates was one of the first to discover a link between the environment

and health of human beings. He took note that physicians of the time should have

“due regard of the seasons of the year, and the diseases which they produce, and the

states of the wind peculiar to each country and the qualities of its water (McMichael,

2003). Varying among geographies and topographies, environmental health impacts

may be positive or negative, but is predicted by scientists to be predominantly

negative (McMichael, 2003). Environmental health conditions play a significant role

in food travel and importation, famine, starvation, social collapse and the

disappearance of whole populations (McMichael, 2003). These conditions may lead

to social unrest that may include robberies, riots, cannibalism, and animal disease

proliferation (McMichael, 2003). Climate change and deforestation are important to

the general wellbeing of a society, with the potential to impact food production levels

and the spread of infectious diseases.

The United States and the world are experiencing climate change: increases in

temperatures, global rising of sea levels, and many types of extreme weather. All are

becoming more frequent and more severe (U.S. Global Change Research Program,

2015). According to Figure 1.5 on page 10 of Climate Change and Human Health, the

first directly affected area is the regional weather. This can include heat waves,

extreme weather, temperature, and precipitation. This may have a seasonal link and,

for example, a mild winter can lead to summer seasonal changes involving extreme

heat waves more than typical of the region. These regional weather changes affect

microbial contamination pathways, transmission dynamics, agro-ecosystems and

hydrology, and socioeconomic conditions and demographic conditions. This in turn,

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has an effect on health that can include temperature related illness and death, extreme

weather related health effects, air pollution-related health effects, water and food

borne diseases, vector borne and rodent diseases, effects of food and water shortages,

mental, nutritional, infections and other health effects (McMichael, 2003). Climate

change and deforestation may go hand-in-hand in many instances. Human induced

climate change and human induced deforestation, along with destruction of other

ecosystems, is leaving these areas under capacity to buffer impacts of extreme

weather events such as fires, floods and severe storms. (U.S. Global Change Research

Program, 2015).

Abundance and distribution of diseases, specifically vector borne diseases, is

affected by many physical and biotic factors. Physical factors include temperature,

precipitation, humidity, surface water, and wind; biotic factors include vegetation,

host species, predators, competitors, parasites, and human interventions (McMichael,

2003). Malaria and Dengue, transmitted via mosquito, are two of these main vector

borne diseases that is on the rise and difficult to control. One study has shown that the

change in vector ecology has altered local disease incidence and prevalence, as well.

(Pattanayak and Yasuoka, 2008).

The parasite hosting the malaria virus cannot be sustained in very high

temperatures. This means that in areas of high heat that see even a minor increase in

temperatures may experience a decrease in transmission of malaria because the

physiological tolerance limit has surpassed that which the mosquito can handle.

However, in low-temperature areas, a small increase in temperature would have the

opposite effect on transmission and it may increase. (Edwards, Hales, and Kovats,

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2003) In areas of high rainfall that see warmer weather conditions and humidity may

see an increase in transmission of dengue. These weather conditions are ideal for

breeding mosquitoes. (Edwards, Hales, and Kovats, 2003)

In addition to climate change, deforestation also plays a major role in local

ecosystems and human disease patterns. Microclimates are altered dramatically

because deforestation reduces shade, alters rainfall patterns, augments air movement

and changes the humidity regime. Biodiversity is reduced and surface water

availability is increased. These environmental and climatic changes can result in

prolonged seasonal malaria transmission. (Pattanayak and Yasuoka, 2008)

There are many other emerging diseases, namely viruses, which are surfacing

from ecologically damaged parts of the earth. Many emerge from the tattered edges of

tropical rainforests, the largest reservoirs for viruses, and tropical savannas that are

experiencing increase in human populations. These emerging viruses include, but are

not limited to, Lassa, Rift Valley, Oropouche, Rocio, Q. Guanarito, VEE,

Monkeypox, Chikungunya, Machupo, Junin, Mokola, Duvenhage, LeDantec, the

Kyasanur Forest brain virus, HIV, the Smliki Forest agent, Crimean-Congo, Sindbis,

O’nyongnyong, Marburg, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Zaire, and Ebola Reston (Preston

1994).

Climate change may lead to drought and fires within tropical forests and this

forest loss can lead to further climate change, causing even further forest loss (Butler,

26); it is a vicious cycle. This damage can be devastating to the populations that rely

on forests as a source of nutrition. Nutritional quality of rural diets is enhanced by

forest foods because of the large availability of micronutrients (vitamins and

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minerals) and phytochemicals. Benefits from these forest foods include antioxidant

functions, hypoglycemic functions, and modification and detoxication of potential

carcinogens. (Vinceti, Euzaguirre, and Johns, 2008)

Cereal grain production is most likely to be affected by climate change. It

accounts for 70% of global food energy making it a target research topic. Decreases

or disruptions in the food supply will negatively affect populations in isolated areas

with poor access to markets and developing countries where a very large portion of

the population is undernourished. (Githeko and Woodward, 2003)

Brown and Kelley introduce an issue involving physicians’ lack of training

and knowledge when it comes to environmental health effects. Physicians are the

most trusted sources of medical information, but they are among the least informed

regarding environmental health effects (Brown and Kelley, 2000). Physicians within

distance of toxic waste sites are likely to be tied to sources of political, economic, and

social power making it more difficult to target the source of environmental health

effects and the hazards producing these effects. In one study in Colorado, physicians

seemed helpless when it came to tackling general environmental health issues and

aren’t sure how to approach the problem. Private health professionals are failing to

look at a larger public health issue leaving a gap in the health system. (Brown, and

Kelley, 2000) Contributing to the overall problem, there is a shortage of trained

occupational and environmental medicine physicians to educate new physicians, a

lack of information on toxic substances present in the environment, and the

widespread perception among physicians that environmental disease is difficult to

diagnose (Brown and Kelley, 2000). In the instance of deforestation, there is a lack of

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attention paid in the health field to people living in forests because forest have a small

population, resources are limited, and health planner seek more for the money (Pierce

Colfer, 2008).

In places such as Africa officials and project managers for natural resource

management and rural development have not considered HIV/AIDS and human

health to be their concern and have left it to staff that have not considered the natural

environment as an important aspect of their work (Lopez, 2008). Forest resources

offer food, medicinal plants, and function as a source of cash income for those

suffering from HIV/AIDS (Lopez, 2008). Medicinal plants, whether herbal or

traditional, come from tree roots, bark, leaves and fruits. For those with HIV/AIDS,

these plants assist in supporting the strengths of the immune system and improve

appetites (Lopez, 2008). Along with this, proper nutrition is extremely important in

HIV and AIDS patients. Proper nutrition delays the development of AIDS and

extends life expectancy and productivity of those that have developed the symptoms

of AIDS. Forests harvest leaves, mushrooms, flowers, fruits, roots, tubers, insects,

and large mammals and all are an array of food sources. There is a range of forest-

based products that are available to supply a cash income for those that are suffering

from poor economic conditions of dealing with HIV/AIDS. Trees offer firewood,

charcoal, herbal remedies and wild foods. (Lopez 2008) Forests are significant in the

role of socioeconomic conditions of communities. They benefit the populations

surrounding them and with human deforestation on the rise, these benefits will no

longer be utilized. It is up to public health and private health officials to take a stand

on training and preservation.

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Forests are complex and rich. Forestlands play critical roles in reservoirs of

food plants for communities with differing lifestyles. This can include hunter-gatherer

populations to populations living at the margin of the forest to agricultural

communities (Vinceti, Euzaguirre, and Johns, 2008). Simultaneously, climate change

and deforestation are decreasing the quality and the quantity of forests (Butler, 2008).

Slow changes in climatic conditions may allow human populations time to adapt. For

example, people or communities may develop new ways of coping with, or

attenuating, rising residential temperatures. Abrupt climate changes do not allow such

opportunities. (Githeko and Woodward, 2003)

What efforts are we putting forth as a nation and globally to counteract this

climate change and deforestation? The U.S. Global Change Research Program was

founded by Presidential Initiative in 1989 and mandated by Congress in the Global

Change Research act of 1990 (U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2015). This act

was formed to develop and coordinate “a comprehensive and integrated United States

research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess,

predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change” (U.S.

Global Change Research Program, 2015). The Global Change Research Program has

organized The National Global Change Research Plan 2012-2021 that reflects

recommendations from multiple reports of the National Academies. This includes

listening sessions with stakeholders around the country and collaborative planning

among the U.S. Global Change Research Program member agencies. This plan

connects the fundamental human and Earth system research with credible information

into a coordinated effort for the future benefit of the Nation (U.S. Global Research

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Program, 2015). These types of assessments are valuable to risk managers, decision-

makers, and the public. The information may be utilized to promote education,

training, and public awareness of the potential health impacts of climate change.

(Grambsch and Menne, 2003)

Policies have been arranged for developing nations to celebrate traditional

medicine and merely acknowledging the need to pay more attention to the resources

that forests offer (Fowler, 2008). This began in 1978 when the World Health

Organization released its Alma Ata Declaration that proposed a strategy for

improving the health status of people around the world. This followed a 1977 strategy

to invest in research on traditional medicine. The Alma Ata Declaration encourages

its member states to use indigenous medical practitioners in public health programs.

This has lead to various international organizations joining with the World Health

Organization to promote the use of integrative medicine. These include the

Association of South-East Asian Nations, the Pan-American Health Organizations,

the World Bank, the World Health Assembly, and the United Nations Children’s

Fund. The Alma Ata Declaration seeks to assemble the traditional healers and

traditional birth attendants intro professional associations because this puts them in a

better position to receive medical training. (Fowler, 2008) It is in these times of

sickness and childbirth that the majority of people will seek out these traditional

healers despite the establishment of hospitals and health centers (Cunningham,

Shanley, and Laird, 2008).

It is evident that environmental health plays a large role in the health of

individuals. Protecting out planet and utilizing its resources properly would be

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extremely beneficial in the long run and help our planet and its inhabitants to grow

simultaneously. This includes recognizing the people and professionals behind the

science to contribute positively to this environment issue for the greater good of

public health and general wellbeing.

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References

Ali, Robbie; Allotey, Pascale; Butler, Colin; Manuel, Cesario; Pierce Colfer, Carol

J.; Cunningham, Tony; Dounias, Edmond; Dudley, Richard G.; Eyzaguirre,

Pablo; Fowler, Cynthia; Fröde, Alexander; Froment, Alain; Gardner, Robert

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Meriadeg Ar; Gyapong, Margaret; Johns, Timothy; Kozanayi, Witness; Lahm,

Sally A.; Laird, Sarah; Leroy, Eric A.; Limberg, Godwin; Lopez, Pascal;

McMillen, Heather; Nemarundwe, Nontokozo; Pattanayak, Subhrendu K.;

Persoon, Gerard A.; Reynes, Jean-Marc; Roble, Maria Nanette Ramiscal;

Shanley, Patricia; Smith, Kirk R.; Tiani, Anne Marie; Vinceti, Barbara;

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McMichael, A.J., Campbell-Lendrum, D.H., Corvalán, C.F., Ebi, K.L., Githeko,

A.K., Scheraga, J.D., Woodward, A. (2003). Climate Change and Human

Health: Risks and Responses. McMichael, A.J., et all (Ed.). World Health

Organization: Geneva.

Preston, Richard. (1994). The Hot Zone. New York, New York: Random House,

Inc.

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