James Creswick Bettina Menne Global Change and Health WHO Regional Office for Europe James Creswick Bettina Menne Global Change and Health WHO Regional Office for Europe Protecting health in Europe from climate change 3rd EIONET Workshop Content WHO political mandate WHO Regional Office for Europe activities on climate change and health Current challenges Monitoring health effects over time The rising profile of climate change and health at global level Climate change top priority of UN; UN Secretary General establishes coordination group including WHO; World Health Day "Protecting health from climate change" April 2008; World Health Assembly Resolution on climate change and health - May 2008; World Health Assembly approves new WHO workplan on climate change and health May 2009 Mandates from World Health Assembly and Executive Board Urges member states: Include health measures in adaptation plans Build technical, strategic and leadership capacity in the health sector Strengthen capacity for preparedness and response to natural disasters Promote active cross-sectoral engagement of the health sector Express commitment to meeting challenge of climate change, and guide planning and investments Mandates from World Health Assembly and Executive Board Requests the WHO Director General to promote research and pilot projects in this area; to engage actively in the UNFCCC Nairobi Work Programme to consult Member States on the preparation of a workplan for scaling up WHOs technical support. WHO workplan on climate change and health (WHA 2009) Aim: to support health systems of all countries, but in particular those of low and middle income countries and small island states, to enhance capacity for assessing and monitoring the health vulnerability, risks and impacts due to climate change identify effective strategies and actions to protect human health and particularly the most vulnerable groups share knowledge and good practices on health system actions In the European Union The White paper: Outlines the need to Increase the resilience of health and social policies calls upon exploring with the WHO and EU agencies ways of ensuring adequate surveillance and control of the impact of climate change on health, such as epidemiological surveillance, the control of communicable diseases and the effect of extreme events. In the accompanying staff working paper "Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action Human, Animal and Plant Health Impacts of Climate Change", it calls upon Cooperating with the WHO and within the WHO Framework for Action in the European Region and the WHA resolution on climate change and health complements the WHO actions within the territory of the EU. Climate change in WHO Euro Region World Health Day 2008: Protecting health in Europe from climate change (7 April) 3rd Ministerial Conference on Environment & Health London, th Ministerial Conference on Environment & Health (extreme events & energy), Budapest, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize to the IPCC World Health Day 2007: focus on health security 5 TH Ministerial Conference health issues at all levels and sectors in all current and future climate change mitigation and adaptation measures strengthen health systems to improve their capacity to prepare for the health impacts of climate change; Strengthen research and develop and implement educational and public awareness programmes on climate change and health; promote active collaboration between and coordination of early warning and response systems for disease and emerging threats to vulnerable populations; aim to increase the health sectors contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its leadership on energy- and resource-efficient management, in collaboration with the environment sector. to set up a European [information platform/clearing house], for systematic sharing of best practices, research, data, information, technology and tools at all levels. Regional framework for action Protecting health in an environment challenged by climate change and Ministerial Declaration: Heat-wave increases are a most certain consequence of climate change Mortality increases between 1% and 4% for each degree of temperature increase (KOVATS 2006) HOW TO REDUCE HEALTH EFFECTS Implement heat-health action plans by ensuring health systems preparedness and ability to respond reducing community exposure to heat providing timely weather-related health alerts and advice to citizens 86,000 extra deaths estimated per year with a global mean temperature increase of 3C in in the EU (PESETA 2008). Over 70,000 extra deaths reported in Europe in summer 2003 (ROBINE 2008). Number of daily mortality in Paris and min-max temperatures 25 June-19 August Paris Funeral Services (2003) Health effects of air pollution and heat Age group Low* PM 10 % increase (95% CI) High** PM 10 % increase (95% CI) All ages (6.3, 16.0)12.6 (8.7, 16.8) 0-64 yrs7.6 (2.3, 13.2)7.7 (4.3, 11.2) yrs8.8 (3.6, 14.3)9.3 (4.8, 14.0) yrs (4.2, 18.6)13.6 (8.6, 18.9) 85+ yrs (5.5, 20.1)19.4 (8.1, 31.9) *: at the 25 th percentile of the city-specific distribution of ozone **: at the 75 th percentile of the city-specific distribution of ozone +: significant interaction at P