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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 "Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 20490

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qingxiang Li

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Guest Editor

School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Interests: climate data; climate change; urban climate

Dr. Steve Hung Lam Yim

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Guest Editor

Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Interests: transboundary air pollution; interactions between land, air quality and climate change; air quality forecast and future projection; sensitivity model development and application; artificial intelligence and air pollution; remote sensing of particulate matter and ozone; air pollutant exposure science; human health assessment

Prof. Dr. Yonghong Li

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Guest Editor

National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China
Interests: climate change; health risk assessment; health adaptation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global warming directly affects the earth's ecosystem, bringing harm to the human living environment and human health. Worse still, extreme and abnormal weather phenomena brought about by global climate change, such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, freezes, hailstorms, sand and dust storms, etc., cause serious natural disasters, which are enough to cause serious blows to human society. Therefore, it is urgent to slow down global warming, to vigorously carry out research on the relationship between climate change and human health, and to establish a sound monitoring and early warning system for diseases affecting public health.

This Special Issue is open to the subject area of climate change and public health. The keywords listed below provide an outline of some of the possible areas of interest.

Prof. Dr. Qingxiang Li
Dr. Steve Hung Lam Yim
Prof. Dr. Yonghong Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

extreme weather events
climate change
urban climate
air pollution
ozone formation and removal particulate matter transport
health impact assessment
disease prevention and control
infectious disease processes and predictive modeling
interaction effects of climate and air pollution
other intersections studies

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Household Flood Severity and Migration Extent in Central Java: Analysis of the Indonesian Family Life Survey

Erin Coughlan de Perez

Timothy Griffin

and

Elena N. Naumova

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5706; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095706 - 02 May 2023

Viewed by 1214

Abstract

Central Java, Indonesia, is prone to river and coastal flooding due to climate changes and geological factors. Migration is one possible adaptation to flooding, but research is limited due to lack of longitudinal spatially granular datasets on migration and metrics to identify flood-affected households. The available literature indicates social and economic barriers may limit mobility from flood prone areas. The Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) provides self-reported data on household experiences with natural disasters among 1501 Central Java households followed over two waves (2007 and 2014). We examined how the severity of flooding, defined by household-level impacts captured by the IFLS (death, injury, financial loss, or relocation of a household member), influenced the extent of household movement in Central Java using a generalized ordered logit/partial proportional odds model. Households severely impacted by floods had 75% lower odds of moving farther away compared to those that did not experience floods. The most severely impacted households may be staying within flood-affected areas in Central Java. Public health, nutrition, and economic surveys should include modules focused on household experiences, impacts, and adaptations to facilitate the study of how climate changes are impacting these outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

Open AccessArticle

Heat Adaptation among the Elderly in Spain (1983–2018)

Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín

José Antonio López-Bueno

María Soledad Ascaso-Sánchez

Gerardo Sánchez-Martínez

Cristina Linares

and

Julio Díaz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1314; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021314 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1364

Abstract

The capacity for adaptation to climate change is limited, and the elderly rank high among the most exposed population groups. To date, few studies have addressed the issue of heat adaptation, and little is known about the long-term effects of exposure to heat. One indicator that allows the ascertainment of a population’s level of adaptation to heat is the minimum mortality temperature (MMT), which links temperature and daily mortality. The aim of this study was to ascertain, firstly, adaptation to heat among persons aged ≥ 65 years across the period 1983 to 2018 through analysis of the MMT; and secondly, the trend in such adaptation to heat over time with respect to the total population. A retrospective longitudinal ecological time series study was conducted, using data on daily mortality and maximum daily temperature across the study period. Over time, the MMT was highest among elderly people, with a value of 28.6 °C (95%CI 28.3–28.9) versus 28.2 °C (95%CI 27.83–28.51) for the total population, though this difference was not statistically significant. A total of 62% of Spanish provinces included populations of elderly people that had adapted to heat during the study period. In general, elderly persons’ level of adaptation registered an average value of 0.11 (°C/decade). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Age- and Gender-Specific Differences in the Seasonal Distribution of Diabetes Mortality in Shandong, China: A Spatial Analysis

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 17024; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417024 - 18 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 979

Abstract

Diabetes mortality in Shandong is higher than the national average in China. This study first explored diabetes mortality variation spatially at the county/district level among adults aged over 30 years in terms of age and gender, specifically by season. Daily diabetes mortality data were collected from 31 mortality surveillance points across Shandong Province in 2014. A geographic information system, spatial kriging interpolation and a spatial clustering method were used to examine the spatial patterns of diabetes mortality at the county/district level by season. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using diabetes mortality data from 10 mortality surveillance points from 2011 to 2020. As a result, the total diabetes mortality in eastern counties/districts was the highest (relative risk (RR) of cluster: 1.58, p = 0.00) across the whole province. For subgroups, women had higher mortality (16.84/100,000) than men (12.15/100,000), people aged over 75 years were the most vulnerable (93.91/100,000) and the highest-risk season was winter. However, the mortality differences between winter and summer were smaller in eastern and coastal regions than in other regions for all gender- and age-specific groups. The findings provide further evidence for early warning and precision preventative strategies for diabetes mortality in different regions of Shandong Province. Future research is required to identify the risk factors for diabetes and understand the differences in the social and environmental contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Public Health Measures to Address the Impact of Climate Change on Population Health—Proceedings from a Stakeholder Workshop

Samira Barbara Jabakhanji

Stephen Robert Arnold

Kristin Aunan

Matthew Francis Chersich

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13665; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013665 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1460

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization identified climate change as the 21st century’s biggest health threat. This study aimed to identify the current knowledge base, evidence gaps, and implications for climate action and health policymaking to address the health impact of climate change, including in the most underserved groups. Methods: The Horizon-funded project ENBEL (‘Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health’) organised a workshop at the 2021-European Public Health conference. Following presentations of mitigation and adaptation strategies, seven international researchers and public health experts participated in a panel discussion linking climate change and health. Two researchers transcribed and thematically analysed the panel discussion recording. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) ‘Evidence is key’ in leading the climate debate, (2) the need for ‘messaging about health for policymaking and behaviour change’ including health co-benefits of climate action, (3) existing ‘inequalities between and within countries’, and (4) ‘insufficient resources and funding’ to implement national health adaptation plans and facilitate evidence generation and climate action, particularly in vulnerable populations. Conclusion: More capacity is needed to monitor health effects and inequities, evaluate adaptation and mitigation interventions, address current under-representations of low- or middle-income countries, and translate research into effective policymaking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

Open AccessArticle

Climate Change and Health in Urban Areas with a Mediterranean Climate: A Conceptual Framework with a Social and Climate Justice Approach

Marc Marí-Dell’Olmo

Laura Oliveras

Lourdes Estefanía Barón-Miras

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912764 - 06 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2790

Abstract

The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly evident and highlight the important interdependence between the well-being of people and ecosystems. Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its causes and consequences vary dramatically across territories and population groups. Among settings particularly susceptible to health impacts from climate change are cities with a Mediterranean climate. Here, impacts will put additional pressure on already-stressed ecosystems and vulnerable economies and societies, increasing health inequalities. Therefore, this article presents and discusses a conceptual framework for understanding the complex relationship between climate change and health in the context of cities with Mediterranean climate from a social and climate justice approach. The different elements that integrate the conceptual framework are: (1) the determinants of climate change; (2) its environmental and social consequences; (3) its direct and indirect impacts on health; and (4) the role of mitigation and adaptation policies. The model places special emphasis on the associated social and health inequalities through (1) the recognition of the role of systems of privilege and oppression; (2) the distinction between structural and intermediate determinants of climate change at the root of health inequalities; (3) the role of individual and collective vulnerability in mediating the effects of climate change on health; and (4) the need to act from a climate justice perspective to reverse health inequities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Voluntary Carbon Disclosure (VCD) Strategy under the Korean ETS: With the Interaction among Carbon Performance, Foreign Sales Ratio and Media Visibility

Sun Ae Kim

and

Jong Dae Kim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11268; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811268 - 07 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1096

Abstract

While there has been a sufficient amount of research and empirical evidence on the factors that influence a company’s decisions to voluntarily disclose carbon information, little research has been done on the carbon disclosure practices of ETS-affected companies, in Asian countries, in particular. Considering this, it is essential to shed light on more diverse linkages between carbon performance and voluntary carbon disclosure (VCD) under ETSs taking into account the specific context of each individual country. Drawing on the Korean ETS-affected companies with a contents analysis of their sustainable reports from 2015 to 2019, the present research seeks to address the existing knowledge gaps in the current literature on carbon disclosure. In doing so, hierarchical ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis is used to infer causality and assess the findings. The findings empirically prove a positive relationship between carbon performance and VCD, which means that the affected companies under the Korean ETS are likely to disclose more when they have favorable carbon reduction performance. Furthermore, this link tends to be amplified for companies with a high percentage of foreign sales, while the role of media visibility interacts differently with carbon performance in influencing VCD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Global Warming’s Six MTurks: A Secondary Analysis of a US-Based Online Crowdsourcing Market

Erika Austhof

and

Heidi E. Brown

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8320; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148320 - 07 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 871

Abstract

Using a global warming audience segmentation tool (Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY)) as a case study, we consider how public health can use consumer panels and online crowdsourcing markets (OCMs) in research. Through a secondary analysis, we aim to understand how consumer panels and OCMs are similar to or different from each other on demographics and global warming beliefs through SASSY, and how they compare to US Census estimates. With this information, researchers will understand public opinion of global warming in their sample, which is useful for many climate change initiatives. Neither the consumer panel (Ipsos) or OCM sample (MTurk) matched US estimates of population demographics. Both panels achieved similar SASSY segments, showing that even with diverse sampling frames, SASSY is a useful tool for understanding global warming sentiment. Compared to Ipsos, MTurk was younger (more Millennials and Generation X), had higher educational attainment, and lower income. Both panels were majority White, but Ipsos was more diverse than the unweighted MTurk. Ipsos had more respondents from the South whereas MTurk had more respondents from the West. Across the MTurk SASSY segment, there were no significant differences for the majority of demographic characteristics except for age; younger generations were more Alarmed or Concerned, and older generations were more Doubtful and Dismissive. Researchers interested in understanding their sample’s opinions of global warming should use SASSY and consider oversampling in key demographic variables if they intend to achieve a nationally representative and diverse sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Intercomparison of Local Warming Trends of Shanghai and Hong Kong Based on 120-Year Temperature Observational Data

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6494; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116494 - 26 May 2022

Viewed by 995

Abstract

Using surface air temperature observations from 1901 to 2020, this study compared the warming trends of Shanghai and Hong Kong over a period of 120 years. The statistical results reveal the following: (1) The average temperatures of the two cities underwent fluctuating increases during the past 120 years, with linear warming rates of 0.23 °C/decade in Shanghai and 0.13 °C/decade in Hong Kong. (2) The fluctuation ranges of maximum temperature in the two cities were considerably higher than those of mean temperature. Moreover, in both cities, the annual mean maximum temperature decreased during a phase of more than a decade. The fluctuation ranges of minimum temperature were smaller, whereas the linear increases were higher than those for the mean temperature. (3) The diurnal temperature ranges (DTRs) of the two cities decreased; a certain phase of the decreases in DTR in the two cities was caused by decreases in the maximum temperature. (4) At a certain stage of urban development, owing to the shading effect of new high-rise buildings, the solar shortwave radiation reaching the Earth’s surface decreased, and anthropogenic heat generated by the energy consumption of buildings and urban human activities at that time was not sufficient to make up for the reduced shortwave radiation. This result may have led to the declines in the maximum temperature experienced by both cities. (5) Currently, the number of hot days and extremely hot days in the two cities has increased significantly compared with that a century ago, indicating that climate warming has an adverse impact on human settlements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Preliminary Analysis of the Impact of Meteorological Conditions on the COVID-19 Epidemic

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6125; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106125 - 18 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1098

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak at the end of 2019, many studies regarding the impact of meteorological factors on the attack have been carried out, and inconsistent conclusions have been reached, indicating the issue’s complexity. To more accurately identify the effects and patterns of meteorological factors on the epidemic, we used a combination of logistic regression (LgR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling to investigate the possible effects of common meteorological factors, including air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and surface pressure, on the transmission of the COVID-19 epidemic. Our analysis shows that: (1) Different countries and regions show spatial heterogeneity in the number of diagnosed patients of the epidemic, but this can be roughly classified into three types: “continuous growth”, “staged shock”, and “finished”; (2) Air temperature is the most significant meteorological factor influencing the transmission of the COVID-19 epidemic. Except for a few areas, regional air temperature changes and the transmission of the epidemic show a significant positive correlation, i.e., an increase in air temperature is conducive to the spread of the epidemic; (3) In different countries and regions studied, wind speed, relative humidity, and surface pressure show inconsistent correlation (and significance) with the number of diagnosed cases but show some regularity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Extreme Climate Events on Future Rice Yields in Global Major Rice-Producing Regions

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4437; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084437 - 07 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1542

Abstract

Under the dual impacts of climate change and COVID-19, there are great risks to the world’s food security. Rice is one of the three major food crops of the world. Assessing the impact of climate change on future rice production is very important for ensuring global food security. This article divides the world’s main rice-producing regions into four regions and uses a multivariate nonlinear model based on historical economic and climatic data to explore the impacts of historical extreme climatic events and economic factors on rice yield. Based on these historical models, future climatic data, and economic data under different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), the yields of four major rice-producing regions of the world under different climate change scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585) are predicted. The research results reveal that under different climate change scenarios, extreme high-temperature events (Tx90p) and extreme precipitation events (Rx5day, R99pTOT) in the four major rice-producing regions have an upward trend in the future. Extreme low-temperature events (Tn10p) have a downward trend. In the rice-producing regions of Southeast Asia and South America, extreme precipitation events will increase significantly in the future. The prediction results of this model indicate that the rice output of these four major rice-producing regions will show an upward trend in the future. Although extreme precipitation events will have a negative impact on rice production, future increases in rice planting areas, economic development, and population growth will all contribute to an increase in rice production. The increase in food demand caused by population growth also brings uncertainty to global food security. This research is helpful for further understanding climate change trends and risks to global rice-production areas in the future and provides an important reference for global rice-production planning and risk management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Can a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tax on Food also Be Healthy and Equitable? A Systemised Review and Modelling Study from Aotearoa New Zealand

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084421 - 07 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1695

Abstract

Policies to mitigate climate change are essential. The objective of this paper was to estimate the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) food taxes and assess whether such a tax could also have health benefits in Aotearoa NZ. We undertook a systemised review on GHG food taxes to inform four tax scenarios, including one combined with a subsidy. These scenarios were modelled to estimate lifetime impacts on quality-adjusted health years (QALY), health inequities by ethnicity, GHG emissions, health system costs and food costs to the individual. Twenty-eight modelling studies on food tax policies were identified. Taxes resulted in decreased consumption of the targeted foods (e.g., −15.4% in beef/ruminant consumption, N = 12 studies) and an average decrease of 8.3% in GHG emissions (N = 19 studies). The “GHG weighted tax on all foods” scenario had the largest health gains and costs savings (455,800 QALYs and NZD 8.8 billion), followed by the tax—fruit and vegetable subsidy scenario (410,400 QALYs and NZD 6.4 billion). All scenarios were associated with reduced GHG emissions and higher age standardised per capita QALYs for Māori. Applying taxes that target foods with high GHG emissions has the potential to be effective for reducing GHG emissions and to result in co-benefits for population health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessArticle

Urbanization Effects on Surface Wind in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Using a Fan-Sector Method

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3194; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063194 - 08 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1578

Abstract

Surface wind directly affects human life, wind energy utilization, the atmospheric environment, and many other aspects. The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) megalopolis is experiencing an accelerated progress of urbanization, which may result in the change in surface roughness and atmospheric characteristics. In this study, urbanization effects on surface wind speed (SWS) in the GBA megalopolis, particularly Zhuhai, is investigated by using long-term automatic meteorological measurements, ERA5 reanalysis, and nighttime light data. Results of the analysis show that the averaged SWS has decreased significantly at a rate of −0.53 m s⁻¹ per decade over the past decades. With the help of observation-minus-reanalysis (OMR) method, which excludes the atmospheric circulation effects, we found that the decrease in SWS is mainly contributed by the increase in surface roughness, which may account for as much as 75.5% of the decrease. In other words, it is the rapid development of urbanization, rather than the change in large-scale circulation, that could be mainly responsible for the decrease over the GBA in the context of the increasing global SWS since 2010. In addition, a fan-sector method is established to quantitatively analyze the correspondences between urbanization and roughness changes. It is shown that the decrease in wind speed due to surface roughness change is significantly related to the increase in the nighttime light index (NLI) averaged over the 3 km upstream fan-sectors. Moreover, their correlation reaches to 0.36 (negative) when only accounting for the samples of NLI greater than 10. In general, the fan-sector method offers an additional option for assessing the urbanization effects on SWS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Reimagining the Role of Health Departments and Their Partners in Addressing Climate Change: Revising the Building Resilience against Climate Effects (BRACE) Framework

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(15), 6447; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156447 - 26 Jul 2023

Viewed by 908

Abstract

Public health departments have important roles to play in addressing the local health impacts of climate change, yet are often not well prepared to do so. The Climate and Health Program (CHP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework in 2012 as a five-step planning framework to support public health departments and their partners to respond to the health impacts of climate change. CHP has initiated a process to revise the framework to address learnings from a decade of experience with BRACE and advances in the science and practice of addressing climate and health. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the methodology for revising the BRACE framework and the expected outputs of this process. Development of the revised framework and associated guidance and tools will be guided by a multi-sector expert panel, and finalization will be informed by usability testing. Planned revisions to BRACE will (1) be consistent with the vision of Public Health 3.0 and position health departments as “chief health strategists” in their communities, who are responsible for facilitating the establishment and maintenance of cross-sector collaborations with community organizations, other partners, and other government agencies to address local climate impacts and prevent further harm to historically underserved communities; (2) place health equity as a central, guiding tenet; (3) incorporate greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, in addition to its previous focus on climate adaptation; and (4) feature a new set of tools to support BRACE implementation among a diverse set of users. The revised BRACE framework and the associated tools will support public health departments and their partners as they strive to prevent and reduce the negative health impacts of climate change for everyone, while focusing on improving health equity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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Open AccessSystematic Review

Planetary Health and Hospitals’ Contribution—A Scoping Review

Lara Schmidt

and

Sabine Bohnet-Joschko

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13536; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013536 - 19 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1628

Abstract

Climate change is one of the greatest global threats for planetary and human health. This leads to new challenges for public health. Hospitals emit large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG) in their healthcare delivery through transportation, waste and other resources and are considered as key players in reducing healthcare’s environmental footprint. The aim of this scoping review is to provide the state of research on hospitals’ carbon footprint and to determine their contribution to mitigating emissions. We conducted a systematic literature search in three databases for studies related to measurement and actions to reduce GHG emissions in hospitals. We identified 21 studies, the oldest being published in 2012, and the most recent study in 2021. Eight studies focused on GHG emissions hospital-wide, while thirteen studies addressed hospital-based departments. Climate actions in the areas of waste and transportation lead to significant reductions in GHG emissions. Digital transformation is a key factor in implementing climate actions and promoting equity in healthcare. The increasing number of studies published over time indicates the importance of the topic. The results suggest a need for standardization of measurement and performance indicators on climate actions to mitigate GHG emissions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change, Health, and Equity)

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