Carlos Robalo Cordeiro, MD, PhD
Coimbra University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
Burning fossil fuels produces carbon pollution, which is a major source of outdoor air pollution (directly harmful to health) and secondly, a major driver of climate change / global warming. This directly impacts human health through a number of mechanisms.
Climate change is the most important environmental threat of our era. This has translated in impacts in physical systems, such as a rise in sea level, and an increase in climate variable and frequency, intensity and severity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, floods, hurricanes. These impacts range in magnitude and severity depending on the location, mostly driven by the preparedness, level of vulnerability and adaptation capacity, and it is considered the most important global public health issue of this century.
There are different ways or pathways how climate change affects health. From direct exposures in terms of heat stress or flood damage, to more indirectly through the change in transmission of vector borne diseases, pollen or wildfires, or via socioeconomic and social disruption with alteration of food production, migration and poverty. All these translate into health impacts in terms of increased mortality to several forms of morbidity, ranging from hospitalizations to drug dispatchments, resulting in high economic burden and reduction in labor productivity.
Those most at risk of declining lung health as a result of climate change are: a) those with chronic respiratory diseases, b) people over age 65, c) children as their lungs are still developing, d) pregnant women, e) lower socioeconomic groups (because they are more likely to live in areas with high levels of air pollution, have poorer access to health care, poorer lifestyle, etc.), f) outdoor workers.
We all have a role to play in the fight against climate change, and ERS is committed through the compensation of unavoidable carbon emissions and the pragmatic introduction of a green policy on all our activities.
At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
- Recognize the impact of climate change and air pollution as major threats to global health
- Understand the major pathways through which climate change and air pollution affect respiratory health, directly and indirectly
- Understand the responsibility of a respiratory society and how small actions can have a big impact
