Impacts of Climate Change on Health and Wellbeing in South Africa

Abstract

Given its associated burden of disease, climate change in South Africa could be reframed as predominately a health issue, one necessitating an urgent health-sector response. The growing impact of climate change has major implications for South Africa, especially for the numerous vulnerable groups in the country. We systematically reviewed the literature by searching PubMed and Web of Science. Of the 820 papers screened, 34 were identified that assessed the impacts of climate change on health in the country. Most papers covered effects of heat on health or on infectious diseases (20/34; 59%). We found that extreme weather events are the most noticeable effects to date, especially droughts in the Western Cape, but rises in vector-borne diseases are gaining prominence. Climate aberration is also linked in myriad ways with outbreaks of food and waterborne diseases, and possibly with the recent Listeria epidemic. The potential impacts of climate change on mental health may compound the multiple social stressors that already beset the populace. Climate change heightens the pre-existing vulnerabilities of women, fishing communities, rural subsistence farmers and those living in informal settlements. Further gender disparities, eco-migration and social disruptions may undermine the prevention—but also treatment—of HIV. Our findings suggest that focused research and effective use of surveillance data are required to monitor climate change’s impacts; traditional strengths of the country’s health sector. The health sector, hitherto a fringe player, should assume a greater leadership role in promoting policies that protect the public’s health, address inequities and advance the country’s commitments to climate change accords.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Energy Losses in a Barbecue Oven in Burkina Faso

“…The quality of the combustion can be determined from the gases produced. The maximum standard deviations of the measurements are 0.2% for CO 2 , 0.1% for CO and 0.01% for CH 4 and H2:N2. The presence of carbon monoxide indicates incomplete combustion although the grate is not loaded.…”

“…In developing countries, the common energy source consists of biomass, which is becoming increasingly rare [1]. Indeed, several studies in the energy and environment sector are sounding the alarm about the degraded state of forest resources and its consequences on climate change [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. The World Food Program (WFP) has estimated at 105,000 ha the regression rate of forest formations in Burkina while the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development stands at 107,626 ha/year [7].…”

Climate change adaptation in South Africa: a case study on the role of the health sector

“…We systematically reviewed literature indexed in PubMed (Medline) and Web of Science for articles that address climate change adaptation in South Africa. Full details and the PRISMA Flow Chart are described elsewhere [43]. The Pubmed search strategy included free text terms and controlled vocabulary terms (MeSH codes), specifically: ((((("South Africa" In total, 820 titles and abstracts were screened by a single reviewer after removal of 34 duplicate items.…”

The effects of climate change on human health in Africa, a dermatologic perspective: a report from the International Society of Dermatology Climate Change Committee

“…Patients who do not have the means to readily dissipate heat via eccrine sweating, including young children, the elderly, persons taking medications with anticholinergic effects, and patients with disorders of cornification, are particularly vulnerable to death during heat waves. Persons with outdoor occupations (including miners and agricultural workers) and those living in low‐cost housing structures are also at higher risk . In 2017, an estimated 153 billion hours of labor were lost as a result of rising temperatures .…”

“…Between 2010 and 2016, air pollution concentrations worsened in nearly 70% of major cities worldwide, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries . In 2015, ambient air pollution contributed to an estimated 2.9 million premature deaths worldwide and approximately 4% of deaths in South Africa . Higher temperatures are associated with a rise in airborne allergens, which may exacerbate asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and atopic dermatitis .…”