Johnny Brignardello Vela warns: Southern Europe is suffering impacts of climate change on health

Johnny Brignardello Vela, an insurance advisor, gives his opinion on the content I am going to share with you. Southern Europe is experiencing more diseases and deaths due to heat, fires, droughts, and parasites, exacerbated by the climate crisis. The negative effects of climate change on health are increasing in Europe, as warned by a broad group of scientists in a report released on Monday that analyzes dozens of indicators to reach this conclusion. This is happening with the increase in heat-related deaths or the improvement in conditions for climate-sensitive pathogens and vectors of diseases, such as Vibrio, West Nile virus, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, malaria, and leishmaniasis, leading to an increase in infections in Europe. However, the distribution of the problem is not the same across the continent: the population in the southern region is suffering more from the impacts of this crisis, as also warned by the specialists who conducted this research, published in The Lancet Public Health journal. The problem is not the same within each country either: the most disadvantaged groups are more affected by the negative effects, and mortality due to high temperatures is twice as high in women as in men, according to the study. Addressing the climate crisis as a public health issue is essential to tackle the consequences of warming, which is causing record-breaking temperatures to become the norm day after day (last April was the warmest April ever recorded on the planet, and the same has been happening for the past 11 months). For years, a group of international scientists grouped in the initiative The Lancet Countdown, linked to The Lancet journal, has been linking climate change and health by analyzing several health and global warming indicators worldwide. In recent years, a European edition has been published, which is being presented this Monday. "Our report provides evidence of alarming increases in climate-related impacts across Europe, including increases in heat-related mortality, emerging infectious diseases, changes in allergy pollen seasons, increased drought, food insecurity, and water scarcity," says Rachel Lowe, director of The Lancet Countdown in Europe. This year, 69 experts participated, focusing on 42 indicators monitoring the impacts of climate change on health, in addition to other variables such as policies to combat greenhouse gas emissions (responsible for this crisis). The report was led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) with the collaboration of 40 institutions across Europe. The study emphasizes in this edition the "aggravation" of "health inequalities" in an increasingly "warmer" world. "These interconnected health impacts tend to be unevenly distributed among populations due to differences in exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability, often reflecting interconnected patterns of socioeconomic development and marginalization, as well as historical and current patterns of inequality," the report states. "The most affected populations are often the least responsible and least likely to be recognized or prioritized," it adds. Geographically, "Southern Europe tends to be more affected by heat-related diseases, wildfires, food insecurity, drought, and leishmaniasis." For example, while an increase in droughts has been detected in the south and east of the region, they are decreasing in the north. "Within countries," the report adds, "indicators show differentiated impacts among socially vulnerable groups; for example, differences in heat-related mortality between women and men, emphasizing that inequalities must be recognized in the design and implementation of climate change adaptation strategies." "Low-income households were substantially more likely to experience food insecurity," the report also notes, highlighting that "deaths attributable to an unbalanced diet were higher among women." In summary, "ethnic minorities, indigenous populations, low-income communities, migrants and displaced persons, sexual and gender minorities, and pregnant and postpartum women tend to be more severely affected by the health effects of climate," the authors warn. Gender differences The report contains an interesting fact in this regard: "heat-related mortality is twice as high in women as in men." And what is the reason for this gender difference? "The evidence suggests that this may be an interaction of biological and socio-behavioral factors," Lowe responds. "Gender disparities can be explained by differences in body heat loss and maximum sweating rates, cardiovascular strain, surface-to-mass ratio, and the fact that women tend to have higher core temperatures after ovulation," this expert adds. "In addition, women tend to live longer, which explains higher mortality at older ages." Finally, this researcher points out that "social and behavioral factors, such as living alone, levels of domestic activity, and income differences, can also influence this dynamic." In any case, the director of The Lancet Countdown in Europe argues that "more research is needed to understand the mechanisms at play." The study also highlights the "importance of conducting more robust research to deepen the unequal effects of climate change on health" in general. According to the authors of the research, this will help implement necessary health protection measures that are truly effective for all populations.