MEDEV

School of Medical Sciences Education Development

Introduction

The world’s population is facing, perhaps, an unprecedented challenge to its very existence with public health implications becoming clear. As the heating happens,¹ changes in temperature and sea levels for example, could bring shifts in living patterns we may not be prepared for.

In addition, global population growth may well be exacerbated by the ability of the world’s population to despoil the environment through an increase in per capita CO2 emissions and the intensification of ecologically disruptive economic activity.² This may take place in the context of a stabilising population growth but with environmentally damaging consumption patterns.

The health implications are based on the changing relationship that human populations have with their physical and social environments. The BMA³ set out its vision of the challenges we face from such things as:

• Heatwaves – thermal stress, death and injury from cyclones, bushfires.
• Flooding - including chemical, oil and pesticide contamination.
• Infectious diseases – vector, food and water born: e.g. malaria, dengue fever.
• UV radiation – increases in skin cancers.
• Air Pollution – increases in respiratory diseases.

The world is already beginning to face a further food production and distribution challenge as nations change agricultural patterns in their switch from food to biofuels. In addition to physical health impacts there are implications for the mental health of populations who experience traumatic events such as flooding.

The UK may not face the same severity of climate change as other parts of the globe, and the exact nature of the changes are yet to be fully understood or realised. However, in an interdependent world where we may see population displacement (possible in the billions) due to severe weather events, drought, famine and conflict, the UK would not be immune to these pressures. Indeed, the focus on climate change has not altered the political context in which the US may be acceding economic, cultural and military hegemony to China, India and Russia. The potential for the further development, proliferation and use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons remains. Terrorists have more than shown willingness to upset the current global economy in pursuit of their own ends. The political context could be even more volatile given the changes in weather, agriculture and disease patterns that may emerge.

Health care professionals have often be challenged in the past4 for being too individualistic and reductionist in their approach to illness and disease. The public health and climate change agendas asks us to join the dots. Individual action is important and cycling to work, using low energy bulbs and reducing meat consumption may well be a good start. However, until we collectively tackle some of the underlying issues in a coherent way, it is deck chairs and Titanic time.

More positively, there are health gains to be had from changing lifestyles and consumption patterns (think car use and lack of exercise) and the Transition Towns⁵ movement for building sustainable and resilient communities may provide one model for the future.