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Climate Change and Medical Responses
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Climate Change and Medical Responses

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 10072

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paolo Lauriola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian Network of Sentinel Phycians for the Environment (RIMSA), International Society Doctors for the Environment (ISDE), Federazione Nazione Ordine dei Medici (FNOMCeO), 52100 Arezzo, Italy
Interests: environmental epidemiology; public health; refugees and migrants; education; ethics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Margherita Ferrante

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy
2. International Society of Medical Doctors (ISDE), Rete Italiana MediciSentinella per l’Ambiente, 52100 Arezzo, Italy
Interests: public health; environmental epidemiology and hygiene; food quality and safety; one health; environmental health; waste management and health; hospital hygiene; prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gea Oliveri Conti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, Hygiene and Public Health, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 73, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: epidemiology; cancer statistics; environment; health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Domenico Vito

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Metabolism of Cities Living Lab, Department of Geography, SDSU, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Interests: urban planning; sustainable development; climate change and sustainability; GIS for epidemiology and public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The last three years have tragically shown how our societies are vulnerable regarding health, the environment, and the economy. Climate and energy crises, pollution, pandemics, and migrations call for comprehensive and effective complexity management. 

Climate has been defined as a major health threat, and health needs to be included in the effective climate change strategies so far.

In addition to the health effects of climate change (CC) assessed through the number of deaths, emergency visits and hospitalisations, there are many other diseases linked to climate change, which are not quantified because they are treated by family doctors (FDs) and family paediatricians (FPs). 

Last but not least, one of the most critical lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is the crucial role that Medical Response could play on the occasion of global/local emergencies such as those due to CC in diagnosis or screening and triage, as well as in the short and long-term monitoring of the physical and psychological conditions of those affected.

Hence, it is essential to collect and share proposals on the interconnection between health and climate, which are getting the real challenge faced by professionals and researchers daily.

This is the goal of the Special Issue we are promoting. 

Dr. Paolo Lauriola
Prof. Dr. Margherita Ferrante
Dr. Gea Oliveri Conti
Dr. Domenico Vito
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • one health
  • planetary health
  • primary health care and prevention
  • research and prevention integration

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3718 KiB  
Article
Mapping Infodemic Responses: A Geospatial Analysis of COVID-19 Discourse on Twitter in Italy
by Gabriela Fernandez, Siddharth Suresh-Babu and Domenico Vito
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(5), 668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050668 - 24 Apr 2025
Viewed by 368
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified concerns about misinformation, sparking interest in the field of infodemiology, which examines the spread and impact of information on public health perceptions. This research examines how geographic location influenced COVID-19 discourse across 10 Italian cities by analyzing geographically tagged [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified concerns about misinformation, sparking interest in the field of infodemiology, which examines the spread and impact of information on public health perceptions. This research examines how geographic location influenced COVID-19 discourse across 10 Italian cities by analyzing geographically tagged Twitter data. Our network analysis of 4792 high-degree nodes identifies key information spreaders and community structures, while spatiotemporal mapping reveals regional variations in information patterns and influential narratives. Results demonstrate significant geographic and cultural influences on public discourse. In Milan and Rome, economic and political narratives dominated, suggesting targeted messaging about economic recovery and government transparency. Southern regions like Naples require trust-building through community-led initiatives addressing cultural health beliefs. The study identified a clear dichotomy among influencers: established public figures provided evidence-based information, while another group cultivated followings through conspiracy theories, creating echo chambers for skeptical views. This research informs strategies for location-specific information campaigns, helping public health agencies combat misinformation more effectively. Findings emphasize the need for context-specific interventions that consider geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic factors to enhance community resilience during health emergencies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Medical Responses)
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12 pages, 2111 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Climate Change on Aeromedical Retrieval Services in Remote Northern Australia: Planning for a Hotter Future
by Simon Quilty, Aparna Lal, Bridget Honan, Dan Chateau, Elen O’Donnell and Jodie Mills
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(1), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010114 - 20 Jan 2024
Viewed by 2395
Abstract
It is known that environmental heat is associated with increased morbidity manifesting as increasing demand on acute care health services including pre-hospital transport and emergency departments. These services play a vital role in emergency care, and in rural and remote locations, where resource [...] Read more.
It is known that environmental heat is associated with increased morbidity manifesting as increasing demand on acute care health services including pre-hospital transport and emergency departments. These services play a vital role in emergency care, and in rural and remote locations, where resource capacity is limited, aeromedical and other retrieval services are a vital part of healthcare delivery. There is no research examining how heat impacts remote retrieval service delivery. The Northern Territory (NT) of Australia is characterised by very remote communities with limited acute healthcare capacities and is a region subject to regular extreme tropical heat. In this study, we examine the relationship between aeromedical retrievals and hot weather for all NT retrievals between February 2018 and December 2019. A regression analysis was performed on the number of retrievals by clinical reason for retrieval matched to the temperature on the day of retrieval. There was a statistically significant exposure response relationship with increasing retrievals of obstetric emergencies in hotter weather in the humid climate zone and surgical retrievals in the arid zone. Retrieval services appeared to be at capacity at all times of the year. Given that there are no obstetric services in remote communities and that obstetric emergencies are a higher triage category than other emergencies (i.e., more urgent), such an increase will impede overall retrieval service delivery in hot weather. Increasing surgical retrievals in the arid zone may reflect an increase in soft tissue infections occurring in overcrowded houses in the hotter months of the year. Given that retrieval services are at capacity throughout the year, any increase in demand caused by increasing environmental heat will have broad implications for service delivery as the climate warms. Planning for a hotter future must include building resilient communities by optimising local healthcare capacity and addressing housing and other socioeconomic inequities that amplify heat-related illness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Medical Responses)
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11 pages, 1779 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Apparent Temperature, Extreme Temperature Exposure, and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Study in China
by Jianbo Jin, Zhihu Xu, Ru Cao, Yuxin Wang, Qiang Zeng, Xiaochuan Pan, Jing Huang and Guoxing Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043229 - 12 Feb 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3583
Abstract
Temperature is increasingly understood to impact mental health. However, evidence of the long-term effect of temperature exposure on the risk of depressive symptoms is still scarce. Based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study estimated associations between long-term apparent [...] Read more.
Temperature is increasingly understood to impact mental health. However, evidence of the long-term effect of temperature exposure on the risk of depressive symptoms is still scarce. Based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study estimated associations between long-term apparent temperature, extreme temperature, and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults. Results showed that a 1 °C increase or decrease from optimum apparent temperature (12.72 °C) was associated with a 2.7% (95% CI: 1.3%, 4.1%) and 2.3% (95% CI: 1.1%, 3.5%) increased risk of depressive symptoms, respectively. This study also found that each percent increase in annual change in ice days, cool nights, cool days, cold spell durations, and tropical nights was associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms, with HRs (95%CI) of 1.289 (1.114–1.491), 2.064 (1.507–2.825), 1.315 (1.061–1.631), 1.645 (1.306–2.072), and 1.344 (1.127–1.602), respectively. The results also indicated that people living in northern China have attenuated risk of low apparent temperature. Older people were also observed at higher risk relating to more cool nights. Middle-aged people, rural residents, and people with lower household income might have higher related risk of depressive symptoms due to increased tropical nights. Given the dual effect of climate change and global aging, these findings have great significance for policy making and adaptive strategies for long-term temperature and extreme temperature exposure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Medical Responses)
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Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 390 KiB  
Review
Contributions of Medical Greenhouse Gases to Climate Change and Their Possible Alternatives
by Joyce Wang and Shiladitya DasSarma
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(12), 1548; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121548 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1471
Abstract
Considerable attention has recently been given to the contribution of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the healthcare sector to climate change. GHGs used in medical practice are regularly released into the atmosphere and contribute to elevations in global temperatures that produce detrimental [...] Read more.
Considerable attention has recently been given to the contribution of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the healthcare sector to climate change. GHGs used in medical practice are regularly released into the atmosphere and contribute to elevations in global temperatures that produce detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Consequently, a comprehensive assessment of their global warming potential over 100 years (GWP) characteristics, and clinical uses, many of which have evaded scrutiny from policy makers due to their medical necessity, is needed. Of major interest are volatile anesthetics, analgesics, and inhalers, as well as fluorinated gases used as tamponades in retinal detachment surgery. In this review, we conducted a literature search from July to September 2024 on medical greenhouse gases and calculated estimates of these gases’ GHG emissions in metric tons CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e) and their relative GWP. Notably, the anesthetics desflurane and nitrous oxide contribute the most emissions out of the major medical GHGs, equivalent to driving 12 million gasoline-powered cars annually in the US. Retinal tamponade gases have markedly high GWP up to 23,500 times compared to CO2 and long atmospheric lifetimes up to 10,000 years, thus bearing the potential to contribute to climate change in the long term. This review provides the basis for discussions on examining the environmental impacts of medical gases with high GWP, determining whether alternatives may be available, and reducing emissions while maintaining or even improving patient care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Medical Responses)
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