Climate and Health

THE MUTUAL RELATIONS BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Climate Change has been defined as the “the biggest threat of the 21st century” by The Lancet, one of the most important scientific and medical journals. Global warming and the subsequent increase of extreme events have direct and indirect impacts on the health of human beings. At the same time, climate change plays an important role in affecting the determinants of health. These are known as the sum of the conditions finely regulated by economic, political and social systems that influence our state of physical, mental, and social well-being.

Through its “Climate and Health” section, Italian Climate Network aims at increasing awareness of the consequences of climate change on health, trying to clarify how good practices (healthy diet, active mobility, etc.) can lead to health co-benefits.

The two coordinators of this sections are:

Samantha Pegoraro, Medical Doctor graduated from Università di Roma Sapienza and freelance journalist. She is working on the “Climate Change and Health in the Planetary Health vision” project with ISDE (Doctors for the Environment) and FNOMCeO (Italian National Federation of Medical Doctors ).

Benedetta Rossi, Medical Doctor graduated from Università degli Studi di Brescia, is interested in infectious and neglected diseases. For Italian Climate Network, she also works on the School Project, educating high school students on the impacts of climate change on human health.

They were both active membres in IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations) and in 2017 they had the chance to work as interns in the Climate Change Unit, Department of Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarter, Geneva.

Contacts:

samantha.pegoraro@italiaclima.org
benedetta.rossi@italiaclima.org

INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS

WHO, World Health Organization, Unit Climate Change and Human Health
- Health and climate change toolkit for project managers, this toolkit is a one-stop resource containing key resources that address climate change and health issues.
- Country Profiles, the WHO UNFCCC Climate and Health Country Profile Project aims to raise awareness of the health impacts of climate change, support evidence-based decision making to strengthen the climate resilience of health systems, and promote actions that improve health while reducing carbon emissions.
GCHA, Global Climate & Health Alliance. Alliance members are health organizations from around the world, united by a shared vision of a sustainable future. The Alliance works to tackle climate change and to protect and promote public health.
HEAL, Environment & Health Alliance. The Alliance is a leading European not-for-profit organisation addressing how the environment affects health in the European Union (EU).
ISDE Italia, International Society of Doctors for the Environment, Italian section. The main purpose of ISDE is to help defend our environment both locally and globally to prevent numerous illnesses, ensure the necessary conditions for health, and improve the quality of life. In order to safeguard the health of our own generation and of future ones, Medical Doctors must care for the environment.
Italian National Health Institute.

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CC AND HEALTH

Medical scientists report on the impacts climate change is having on health – The Guardian
Health experts are furious with Trump for pulling out from the Paris climate agreement – Los Angeles Times
There are diseases hidden in ice, and they are waking up – BBC news
Climate Change is turing dehydration into a deadly disease – Independent
Our Planet, ourselves: climate change and health – Harvard Blog
Communicating the health effect of climate change – JAMA