A plume of smoke rises out of an industrial chimney into the sky, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo: Supplied/ Unsplash - Mudit Agarwal
A new report says small island developing states (SIDS) are particularly susceptible to the health consequences of climate change.
The report, for the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, lists almost all Pacific island countries and territories as SIDS.
"Climate change is already deeply affecting the health of people living in SIDS," the report said.
"Data from the past 70 years show striking climatic changes that have put SIDS at particular risk of heat stress, drought, vector-borne diseases, and food insecurity. These hazards are particularly worrying for the most vulnerable populations in SIDS, including infants and older people."
One aspect is heat-related deaths in older adults, which increased by 89 per cent in 2013-2022, compared with 2000-09, across SIDS.
For Pacific SIDS, it is a 49 percent increase.
"A large reduction in heat-related attributable deaths was noted across all SIDS regions in 2021-22, most likely due to La Niña," the report said.
The report also touches on drought - saying total land area affected by extreme droughts in 2014-23 expanded by nearly 30 percent compared with 1961-70.
"More severe and frequent droughts destabilise food systems and contribute to infectious disease proliferation in SIDS, further burdening health clinics and hospitals."
Of the 24 SIDS surveyed, 20 (83 percent) had surveillance systems for infectious and food-borne diseases, which provide essential data for climate and health assessments.
"Altered temperature, rainfall, and humidity combinations across all SIDS have resulted in a 33 per cent increase in the transmission potential for dengue compared with the 1950s, and there have been more frequent outbreaks of the disease since 2019."
Twenty-four (75 percent) of 32 SIDS surveyed in 2021 reported having healthcare systems with high or very high capacities for responding to and managing public health emergencies, such as dengue outbreaks.
However, data suggest that SIDS are still lagging in the identification and management of the growing climate-related risk of infectious-disease transmission.
Of the 24 SIDS that participated in the 2021 WHO Health and Climate Change survey, nine - but two in the Pacific - reported having conducted national health vulnerability and adaptation assessments.
But the success of the WHO South Pacific Division in facilitating 19 of 21 Pacific SIDS (91 percent) to meet International Health Regulations requirements "could be a model for improving core capacity implementation and progress in other SIDS", the report said.
It said scientific, political, and corporate sectors need to participate in and take action regarding climate mitigation measures.
