Reports on Climate Change, Reports on Climate Change and Health, Reports on Climate Change

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By David Shearman

This may seem unlikely subject for members of DEA who work to assist and  maintain human health in an age of climate change, but I assure you that it is relevant.

In 1989 the Exxon Valdez, a super-tanker, struck a reef and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into the Prince William Sound in Alaska. A few days ago, after nearly 20 years in the Courts, the US Supreme Court reduced by 90% what had once been a $5 billion punitive damages award against Exxon Mobil to $500 million. This was the second legal appeal by Exxon, the first had reduced the damages to $2.5 billion.

From material compiled by David Shearman

For some time now, together with colleagues, I have been analysing why liberal democracy does not have the capacity to tackle climate change. There are several possible reasons for this. Some may be found in the democratic electoral need to satisfy the maximum number of voters on most possible occasions, and in the  fusion of liberal democracy with market needs. These issues are explained in recent texts listed below (1,2) Complexity theory explains the impotence of democracy in making major decisions and this applies both to elected representatives who cannot grasp complex problems and to the bureaucracies of governments which fail to deliver. (3)

So Ross Garnaut thinks humanity will probably lose the fight against climate change. The architect of Australia's response to climate change says the issue is "too hard" and there is "just a chance" the world will face up to the problem before it's too late. I think this is the likely conclusion for all who spend time on the scientific literature. I believe that our response to this situation must be to redouble our efforts to urge decision makers to take more action. Martin Williams, a DEA member is doing this and relates his experience below. I suspect that we have at least one DEA member in every constituency in Australia and each member of DEA has access to 12 Senators who represent his/her state. We have an opportunity that no other section of the community has for the reasons detailed by Martin. If you require help from us in formulating your informtion, please contact me. Let us get on with it! --- Editor.

We thank the Independent.co.uk and the author,  Steve Connor, Science Editor, for permission to publish this article which appeared in the Independent newspaper on Monday, 26 May 2008. We publish this article because it illustrates the potential fast moving spread of infectious diseases in reponse to climate change and the consequental movement of vectors. (Editor)

Mosquito invasion brings disease risk to UK by Steve Connor

An Asian mosquito species is poised to arrive in Britain, bringing with it the risk of a potentially lethal disease that the insect can pass from one person to another.

by Tony McMichael
The Australian National University
Observer at 2008 World Health Assembly, for the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology

The 61st World Health Assembly, held in Geneva during this past week and attended by national delegations from 193 Member States, has underscored the urgency of tackling global climate change and its diverse risks to health around the world. Those risks will press particularly on vulnerable regions and poorly-resourced populations.
 
On Saturday May 24, the Assembly passed unanimously a strongly worded resolution, seeking to engage the health sector, at international and national levels, in responding to climate change. A key component of this task is to alert policy-makers and populations to the fundamental nature of the risks posed by climate change, not just by dint of physical hazards, but also by affecting many biological and ecological processes upon which human health depends.

Dengue is reported to be the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the world. In recent years, dengue has spread extensively in North and South America and in Mexico it increased 600 percent between 2001 and 2007. The disease has spread to Hawaii and along the border in Texas. The disease is expected to increase in northern Australia with climate change (see Climate Change Health Check on this page)

Dengue fever is caused by an RNA flavivirus spread by the bites of mosquitoes particularly in the urban areas of the tropics. Symptoms include fever, headache, rash, severe pains in the muscles and joints, and pain behind the eye. The fever form of the disease is rarely fatal, while the related dengue haemorrhagic fever is a severe disease with death in approximately 5 percent of cases. Dengue hemorrhagic fever occurs most often in children younger than 15 years old. It also occurs most often in individuals who were previously infected with simple dengue fever.

by David Shearman. A personal view

I was not at the 2020 summit, nor did I apply. Therefore my comments relate entirely to the written report, the submissions and the press comments of others who were there

My attention was attracted by a comment from Tony Windsor, Independent member for the Federal seat of New England     On AM he said “I'm glad I was here, slightly disappointed in the terms of the climate change debate. I think we could have probably done a bit more, particularly in terms of renewable energy, those sorts of issues. I think there was probably a greater expectation out there in terms of the urgency and really pushing the issue”. Then he added something about conflict between persons representing renewable energy and Extrata Mining at the meeting. The latter was excluded from the RN AM transcript and audio.

Doctors for the Environment Australia has had many requests for help from members regarding sustainability in their hospitals. Most say that it is difficult to find sources of information.

In relation to greenhouse emissions from public hospitals, this is a state responsibility and i have been unable to find any overall strategy from the Federal government. Some states seem to be taking the matter seriously, others do not. Overall it is not clear what is happening in private hospitals and this needs to be explored further.

In South Australia I was told that  all engineering options in energy saving had been instituted and the next advance would be the building of the large new hospital in Adelaiade which would have energy saving features. Of course this statement worries me for  the greenhouse cost of a huge new building must be includied in the equation and I am not sure that it has.

Our parent organisation International Society of Doctors for the Environment has some expertise in this area through other national groups. Cathy Falvo of the USA Physicians for Social responsibility has supplied a list of sites worth reviewing  for what ideas are available outside Australia.

If members have other sources of information please send them to me and i will add them to this article.

Useful sites

Healthcare Without Harm

by Dr Sue Wareham, President, Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia)

Editors note
We are very pleased to be able to publish this article. The twin pillars of destruction that threaten our lives are war and ecological collapse and they are intertwined in their causes and effects. Within DEA's sphere of expertise, climate change, Bill Castleden has pointed out in a 2020 submission that "The US Defence Department is that country’s largest single consumer of energy, and is probably the single largest consumer in the world." and  "A global movement to reduce the carbon emissions of the military and to cut arms spending could make the global quest for carbon emission reductions a harbinger of more peaceful co-existence."

There is so much bad news on the environmental consequences of climate change that it is difficult to remain positive. Martin Williams sets a good example in positivity in his article below
This mornng I was approached by two young ladies from Jehovah's Kingdom who told me that armageddon was approaching because of global warming. When I said '"I agree" they were stunned and had no more to say. If I had read Martin William's article I would have been more positive. I feel a retrospective guilt!
This article will appear on the blog so please let us have your views
Editor