A Review of National-Level Adaptation Planning with Regards to the Risks Posed by Climate Change on Infectious Diseases in 14 OECD Nations

Abstract

Climate change is likely to have significant implications for human health, particularly through alterations of the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of infectious diseases. In the context of these risks, governments in high income nations have begun developing strategies to reduce potential climate change impacts and increase health system resilience (i.e., adaptation). In this paper, we review and evaluate national-level adaptation planning in relation to infectious disease risks in 14 OECD countries with respect to “best practices” for adaptation identified in peer-reviewed literature. We find a number of limitations to current planning, including negligible consideration of the needs of vulnerable population groups, limited emphasis on local risks, and inadequate attention to implementation logistics, such as available funding and timelines for evaluation. The nature of planning documents varies widely between nations, four of which currently lack adaptation plans. In those countries where planning documents were available, adaptations were mainstreamed into existing public health programs, and prioritized a sectoral, rather than multidisciplinary, approach. The findings are consistent with other scholarship examining adaptation planning indicating an ad hoc and fragmented process, and support the need for enhanced attention to adaptation to infectious disease risks in public health policy at a national level.

The state of climate change adaptation in the Arctic

“…While it is not possible to make judgments on the state of adaptation solely on number of reported initiatives, it nevertheless supports assertions made elsewhere that adaptation remains in its infancy in the Arctic, with adaptation deserving increased attention [49]. Similarly, other studies examining national level adaptation in developed nations have documented minimal northern focus in those countries with Arctic territory [26,50,51]. There is also a large variation in adaptation by region, with adaptations primarily reported in a North American context, and a quarter of Arctic nations having no adaptations documented in the English language peer-reviewed scholarship.…”

Adapting to water impacts of climate change

“…To date, much of the literature on climate change adaptation focuses on intentions and plans, including Bclimate adaptation plans,^BNational Adaptation Strategies,^or BNational Adaptation Programmes of Action^(e.g., Biesbroek et al 2010;Panic and Ford 2013). Planning occurs at the country, regional, and local levels, particularly by cities, which tend to be on the frontlines of climate impacts.…”

Éditorial - Changements climatiques et santé : un grand défi et une grande chance pour la santé publique au Canada

“…Ce défi a déjà été souligné par deux commissions du Lancet 1,3 , Le Canada ne fait pas exception à cette tendance mondiale : le secteur de la santé y est nettement sous-représenté dans les initiatives d'adaptation en comparaison des autres secteurs 8 . La majorité des interventions gouvernementales visant à adapter le secteur de la santé sont des travaux préparatoires concentrés sur l'établissement des moyens d'adaptation et la mise en place des conditions favorables à cette adaptation, en particulier la sensibilisation aux conséquences des changements climatiques sur la santé et la réalisation d'évaluations de la vulnérabilité [8][9][10] .…”