Climate change

Question 1

What are consequences of poor environmental health?

Answer 1

• Social and economic consequences are enormous
• Burden falls disproportionately on poor people
• Negative consequences on productivity, particularly for women
• Young children are especially at risk for consequences of environmental issues

Question 2

Health impacts of climate change?

Answer 2

• direct health effects
• Indirect health effects: more difficult to asses, but expected to be predominant
• The degree to which the impacts of climate change will be experienced by individuals will depend on the determinants of health

Question 3

Climate impacts of the vulnerable?

Answer 3

• Impacts will be strongly dependent on non-climate factors: individual, local, and regional context
• Impact might be greatly lessened by effective adaptations that reduce vulnerability

Question 4

What impacts human health in the arctic?

Answer 4

• physical environment
• decreased water quantity
• increased disease and parasites
• decrease in food security
• impacts on mental health
• culture
• knowledge and traditional activities

Question 5

How does climate change affect wildlife and harvesting?

Answer 5

• climate change is having an impact on migration patterns, hindering access and this consumption, and altering Inuit traditional travel routes
• New diseases, new illnesses, species in different ranges

Question 6

How does climate change affect infrastructure?

Answer 6

• climate change has already harmed Arctic infrastructure: collapsing bridges, key building damage
  -With thawing permafronst, sea level rise and shoreline erosion - risk assessment and comprehensive planning tools will be needed in Inuit communities
• communities flooded and moved
• Increased risk of infectious diseases
• psychosocial disruption associated with infrastructure damages and population displacements