A Comparative Analysis of Climate-Risk and Extreme Event-Related Impacts on Well-Being and Health: Policy Implications

Walter Leal Filho, Abul Quasem Al-Amin, Gustavo J. Nagy, Ulisses M. Azeiteiro, Laura Wiesböck, Desalegn Y. Ayal, Edward A. Morgan, Paschal Mugabe, Marilyn Aparicio-Effen, Hubert Fudjumdjum and Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour
Additional contact information
Walter Leal Filho: School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
Abul Quasem Al-Amin: Institute of Energy Policy and Research (IEPRe), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Malaysia
Gustavo J. Nagy: Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales (IECA), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
Ulisses M. Azeiteiro: Department of Biology & CESAM Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Laura Wiesböck: Department of Sociology, University of Vienna, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Desalegn Y. Ayal: Center for Food Security Studies (CFSS), College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa 150129, Ethiopia
Edward A. Morgan: Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Paschal Mugabe: Research and Transfer Center,“Sustainability and Climate Change Management”, Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg, Germany
Marilyn Aparicio-Effen: Facultad de Medicina—Instituto Boliviano de Biología de Altura (IBBA), Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), Unidad de Cambio Climático, Ambiente y Salud, Claudio Sanjinez S/N, Miraflores, La Paz, Bolivia
Hubert Fudjumdjum: Research and Transfer Center,“Sustainability and Climate Change Management”, Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg, Germany
Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour: Montpellier Research in Management, Montpellier Business School, 34000 Montpellier, France, cjcjabbour@gmail.com

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: There are various climate risks that are caused or influenced by climate change. They are known to have a wide range of physical, economic, environmental and social impacts. Apart from damages to the physical environment, many climate risks (climate variability, extreme events and climate-related hazards) are associated with a variety of impacts on human well-being, health, and life-supporting systems. These vary from boosting the proliferation of vectors of diseases (e.g., mosquitos), to mental problems triggered by damage to properties and infrastructure. There is a great variety of literature about the strong links between climate change and health, while there is relatively less literature that specifically examines the health impacts of climate risks and extreme events. This paper is an attempt to address this knowledge gap, by compiling eight examples from a set of industrialised and developing countries, where such interactions are described. The policy implications of these phenomena and the lessons learned from the examples provided are summarised. Some suggestions as to how to avert the potential and real health impacts of climate risks are made, hence assisting efforts to adapt to a problem whose impacts affect millions of people around the world. All the examples studied show some degree of vulnerability to climate risks regardless of their socioeconomic status and need to increase resilience against extreme events.

Keywords: climate-change adaptation; extreme events; health; socioeconomic issues; vulnerability; adaptive capacity; environmental risk; adaptation strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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