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Impediments to Comprehensive Research on Climate Change and Health

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  • Anthony J. McMichael

    (National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 0200, Australia)

Abstract

During every climatic era Life on Earth is constrained by a limited range of climatic conditions, outside which thriving and then surviving becomes difficult. This applies at both planetary and organism (species) levels. Further, many causal influences of climate change on human health entail changes—often disruptive, sometimes irreversible—in complex system functioning. Understanding the diverse health risks from climate change, and their influence pathways, presents a challenge to environmental health researchers whose prior work has been in a more definable, specific and quantitative milieu. Extension of the research agenda and conceptual framework to assess present and future health risks from climate change may be constrained by three factors: (i) lack of historically-informed understanding of population-health sensitivity to climatic changes; (ii) an instinctual ‘epidemiologising’ tendency to choose research topics amenable to conventional epidemiological analysis and risk estimation; and (iii) under-confidence in relation to interdisciplinary collaborative scenario-based modeling of future health risks. These constraints must be recognized and remedied. And environmental researchers must argue for heightened public attention to today’s macro-environmental threats to present and future population health—emphasising the ecological dimension of these determinants of long-term health that apply to whole populations and communities, not just to individuals and social groupings.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony J. McMichael, 2013. "Impediments to Comprehensive Research on Climate Change and Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-10, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:11:p:6096-6105:d:30353
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Glen P. Peters & Robbie M. Andrew & Tom Boden & Josep G. Canadell & Philippe Ciais & Corinne Le Quéré & Gregg Marland & Michael R. Raupach & Charlie Wilson, 2013. "The challenge to keep global warming below 2 °C," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 4-6, January.
    2. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ruth Colagiuri & Sinead Boylan & Emily Morrice, 2015. "Research Priorities for NCD Prevention and Climate Change: An International Delphi Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Jan C. Semenza, 2014. "Climate Change and Human Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-7, July.
    3. Morgan M. Levison & Ainslie J. Butler & Steven Rebellato & Brenda Armstrong & Marina Whelan & Charles Gardner, 2018. "Development of a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Using a Public Health Lens to Determine Local Health Vulnerabilities: An Ontario Health Unit Experience," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Jan C. Semenza, 2015. "Prototype Early Warning Systems for Vector-Borne Diseases in Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-19, June.

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