Quiz 3 Flashcards
Define the term climate change
Any changing climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity
What we should expect is changing over a long period of time
Id the main human activity contributing to climate change
Current trend in climate change is manmade
Release of greenhouse gases into atmosphere - burning fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production
population of world has increases
growth of big cities
increased use of cars and other energy consumption
Id future trends in health related to climate change
Increase in
Drought, Wildfires and Crop Failure
Heavy Precipitation: inland flooding and landslides
Typhoons: coastal storm surge and flooding
Sea level rise: coastal flooding, crop failure, population displacement
List 3 factors that make small island developing states (SIDS) and coastal communities particularly vulnerable to climate change
- Poor
- Dependent on local sources of food
- dependent on local sources of water
Large proportion of Pacific island populations fit this category
Id expected impacts of climate change on small islands
Beach erosion and coral bleaching: decrease fishery yield and tourism.
Sea level rise: inundation, storm surge, beach erosion
Reduced fresh water resources - insufficient to meet demand during low rainfall by 2050
Invasion by non-native species
Trends in coastal systems: increased erosion of coastline. 30% loss of salt marshes, mangroves and coral reefs = more vulnerable to storms and tsunamis and flooding
mitigation for climate change
Mitigate: lessen in force/intensity –> most important to lessen greenhouse gas emissions into the environment
Energy: improved fuel efficiency, not use fossil fuels, carbon capture storage, building codes
Agriculture and forestry: improved land management, improved manure management, improved cultivation techniques, decrease deforestation/reforestation
Waste management: improved landfills, controlled waste water treatment, recycling, air pollution abatement
Define drought
a period of below-average rainfall sufficiently long and intense to result in serious environmental and socioeconomic stresses
Usually takes months or years to development
Natural factors that contribute to occurrence of drought
Random changes in the weather: amount of precipitation, rainfall, snow or sleet in an area
El Nino Southern Oscillation: a weather pattern that occurs every 5-7 years that effects average rainfall in a region
Human factors that contribute to occurrence of drought
Deforestation
poor agricultural practices
the way we build which allow rainwater to run off instead of being conserved
climate change
Factors contributing to water shortages
Drying up of surface water low yield of wells and springs increased demand for water growing population increased food production Water pollution difficult access to water systems poor water conservation/policies
Threats to health from drought
Not enough safe water for drinking, cooking and washing
Famine is the most serious threat to health
Then infectious disease - due to lack of WASH
Unsafe water
4 goals for public health during water emergencies
- save lives and protect health –> provide adequate quantities of water and adequate quality
- provide supplies and water for livestock and irrigation
- restore or enhance water systems
- develop alternative arrangements for water where necessary
id criteria for choosing alternative sources of water
Speed with which it can be made
Amount of water it can produce
reliability of supply water purity/safety
simplicity of tech and ease of maintenance
Cost
Easy access for population
Transportation
Id major public health consequences of drought
Deaths can be high in developing countries but not common in developed
Health problems as result of drought: worsening chronic illness, food scarcity, loss of clean water and routine hygiene
Major population movements may occur
Id the 2 types of volcanic eruption
Explosive: strong violent type. Blast, heat, ash and gas. Harder to predict and happen quickly
Effusive: lava flows onto the ground without explosion. Associated with lava flow and classes but not explosions
Describe the ring of fire
Ring around the Pacific tectonic plate - contains 75% of world’s active and dormant volcanoes
Area also prone to earthquakes
Id hazards associated with volcanic eruptions
Lave flows: slow enough for evacuation
pycroclastic flows: very dense clouds of debris containing hot gases, fine pumice, ash and rocks - 900C flows travelling at 100mph
lahars and floods: Lahars = mudflow mix of water and debris- powerful and can move great quantities long distances in short time
blasts and projectiles: blast can travel over 6 miles.
earthquakes and tsunamis
tephra fallout: can contain tons of pumice and ask - can reach for many 100s of miles
acid rain
gas emissions
Major PH consequences of volcanic eruptions
Air quality
water/food quality and security
transportation hazards
endemic diseases may be worsened
public utilities (power, water and sewer) may be damaged
Death and injuries from pyroclastic flows and lahars
Displacement of large number of people
Toxic exposures through air, food, soil and surface water
worsening chronic conditions for breathing and heart issues
Id prevention and preparedness measures for volcanoes
Public awareness and education hazard maps and risk assessment early warning system emergency operations plans evacuation plans disaster exercises training in search and rescue and treatment rapid needs assessment
Lists secondary disasters that could result from volcanic eruption
earthquakes tsunamis floods landslides fires
Recognise 2 ways to categorise fire incidents and their sub-categories
By type of fire incident –> wildfires, structural fires
By cause of fire: natural v manmade
Id factors the contribute to the severity of fires
Wood shingle/thatched roofs high winds hot or dry weather conditions congested road for firefighter access distance from water source bad water distribution system uncontrolled development delay in discovery of fire or sounding the alarm no smoke or fire alarms inadequate public protection
major PH consequences of fires
2/3 of victims die from breathing smoke from fire
Smoke and poison gas cause death and injury
Burns also cause death and injury
Worsening of chronic conditions
toxic exposures
loss of shelter and property
mental health
Wildfires typically cause few deaths but have potential to cause widespread worsening of chronic disease due to toxic exposure
prevention measures for fires
Medical treatment has plateaued in reducing mortality and morbidity
widespread education
firefighters teaching prevention
building codes and fire safety inspections
