To identify the scope and nature of agricultural biodiversity actions within the climate adaptation plans of a sample of large world cities.
I evaluated data from the 2021 Cities Climate Adaptation ...Actions database curated by the Carbon Disclosure Project. Cities with a population over 1 million and reporting at least one adaptation action were included. I identified actions involving agriculture and biodiversity using a framework consisting of five agrobiodiversity categories: urban and peri-urban land use and water management, and urban food supply chains, food availability and food environments. I also identified reported health co-benefits and health sector involvement.
Of 141 cities reviewed, 61 cities reported actions on agricultural biodiversity, mostly supporting land use or water management. Key health outcomes addressed were illnesses linked to air pollution and excessive heat and vector-borne diseases, corresponding with cities' major health concerns. Greenhouse gas mitigation was also addressed by many cities. Fewer cities reported actions in food categories or concern for noncommunicable diseases or poor nutrition. Nearly two thirds of cities (40/61) reported health co-benefits or health-sector involvement for at least one intervention. A higher proportion of the 43 cities in low- and middle-income countries reported agrobiodiversity actions and health co-benefits than the 18 cities in high-income countries.
Cities are key partners in achieving sustainable global agriculture that promotes health and supports climate and biodiversity goals. Cities can enhance this role through climate adaptation plans with strong health engagement, a focus on nature-based solutions and greater emphasis on food and nutrition.
The early 2020 response to COVID-19 revealed major gaps in public health systems around the world as many were overwhelmed by a quickly-spreading new coronavirus. While the critical task at hand is ...turning the tide on COVID-19, this pandemic serves as a clarion call to governments and citizens alike to ensure public health systems are better prepared to meet the emergencies of the future, many of which will be climate-related. Learning from the successes as well as the failures of the pandemic response provides some guidance. We apply several recommendations of a recent World Health Organization Policy Brief on COVID-19 response to 5 key areas of public health systems – governance, information, services, determinants, and capacity – to suggest early lessons from the coronavirus pandemic for climate change preparedness. COVID-19 has demonstrated how essential public health is to well-functioning human societies and how high the economic cost of an unprepared health system can be. This pandemic provides valuable early warnings, with lessons for building public health resilience.
Extreme weather events (EWEs) affected health in every world region during 2021, placing the planet in “uncharted territory.” Portraying the human impacts of EWEs is part of a health frame that ...suggests public knowledge of these risks will spur support for needed policy change. The health frame has gained traction since the Paris COP21 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) and arguably helped to achieve modest progress at the Glasgow COP26. However, reporting rarely covers the full picture of health impacts from EWEs, instead focusing on cost of damages, mortality, and displacement. This review summarizes data for 30 major EWEs of 2021 and, based on the epidemiological literature, discusses morbidity-related exposures for four hazards that marked the year: wildfire smoke; extreme cold and power outages; extreme, precipitation-related flooding; and drought. A very large likely burden of morbidity was found, with particularly widespread exposure to risk of respiratory outcomes (including interactions with COVID-19) and mental illnesses. There is need for a well-disseminated global annual report on EWE morbidity, including affected population estimates and evolving science. In this way, the public health frame may be harnessed to bolster evidence for the broader and promising frame of “urgency and agency” for climate change action.
To examine biomarkers of methylmercury (MeHg) intake in women and infants from seafood-consuming populations globally and characterize the comparative risk of fetal developmental neurotoxicity.
A ...search was conducted of the published literature reporting total mercury (Hg) in hair and blood in women and infants. These biomarkers are validated proxy measures of MeHg, a neurotoxin found primarily in seafood. Average and high-end biomarkers were extracted, stratified by seafood consumption context, and pooled by category. Medians for average and high-end pooled distributions were compared with the reference level established by a joint expert committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Selection criteria were met by 164 studies of women and infants from 43 countries. Pooled average biomarkers suggest an intake of MeHg several times over the FAO/WHO reference in fish-consuming riparians living near small-scale gold mining and well over the reference in consumers of marine mammals in Arctic regions. In coastal regions of south-eastern Asia, the western Pacific and the Mediterranean, average biomarkers approach the reference. Although the two former groups have a higher risk of neurotoxicity than the latter, coastal regions are home to the largest number at risk. High-end biomarkers across all categories indicate MeHg intake is in excess of the reference value.
There is a need for policies to reduce Hg exposure among women and infants and for surveillance in high-risk populations, the majority of which live in low-and middle-income countries.
Behind the coronavirus headlines the year 2020 set multiple extreme weather records, including unprecedented wildfires in Australia and California, massive flooding in China, and back-to-back ...hurricanes in Central America. The impacts on the well-being of local populations have been devastating. We reviewed these extreme weather events, together with the year’s newly published climate and health science reports, and identified three important themes for building health resilience in the decade ahead: (1) preparing for greater magnitude and intensity of climate hazards, extreme events, and population health impacts; (2) better anticipating cascading and compound impacts on population well-being, particularly for the most vulnerable; and (3) identifying appropriate, effective preparedness tools and strategies. While decarbonizing the economy is the urgent goal to protect both human and planetary health from a changing climate, 2020 demonstrates that recognizing the likely magnitude and complexity of future extreme weather events, and preparing local public health agencies and communities with the knowledge and tools to respond to them, will be essential in this critical decade.
Public health has potential to serve as a frame to convey the urgency of behavior change needed to adapt to a changing climate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Local governments form the backbone ...of climate-related public health preparedness. Yet local health agencies are often inadequately prepared and poorly integrated into climate change assessments and plans. We reviewed the climate health profiles of 16 states and two cities participating in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative (CRSCI) that aims to build local capacity to assess and respond to the health impacts of climate change. Following recommendations from a recent expert panel strategic review, we present illustrations of emerging promising practice and future directions. We found that CRSCI has strengthened climate preparedness and response in local public health agencies by identifying critical climate-health impacts and vulnerable populations, and has helped integrate health more fully into broader climate planning. Promising practice was found in all three recommendation areas identified by the expert panel (leveraging partnerships, refining assessment methodologies and enhancing communications), particularly with regard to health impacts of extreme heat. Vast needs remain, however, suggesting the need to disseminate CRSCI experience to non-grantees. In conclusion, the CRSCI program approach and selected activities illustrate a way forward toward robust, targeted local preparedness and response that may serve as a useful example for public health departments in the United States and internationally, particularly at a time of uncertain commitment to climate change agreements at the national level. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1838.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Climate change has important population health impacts, and cities are often on the frontlines. However, health is reported to be less active in climate adaptation than other sectors. To contribute ...to better understanding urban health adaptation efforts and identifying gaps we developed a City Climate Health Adaptation Typology and tested it with adaptation actions of 106 large world cities (population > 1 million) reported to a major publicly-available adaptation database. We found two-thirds of actions of these ‘active adapter’ cities were health-associated. Half were health information activities (e.g., hazard mapping, early warnings); and nearly one-third addressed climate-relevant health determinants in the urban built environment (e.g., green space). Forty percent of cities were in low- or middle-income countries. Our proposed typology provides a systematic framework for monitoring and comparing city health adaptation actions. Reported city actions are suggestive of increasing depth and breadth of urban health-associated adaptation. However, even among these adaptation-engaged cities, a health adaptation gap was apparent in key climate health services (e.g., mental health), and in climate-related public health governance and capacity building. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated pressing need for strong public health institutions. We recommend better integration of public health agencies into local climate action planning, enhanced modes of collaboration between health and non-health agencies and with non-governmental actors, and strengthening of city public health adaptive capacity including through networking.
•We propose a five-part typology to support consistent urban health adaptation monitoring.•Applying it to >100 large climate-active cities suggests the health share is substantial.•Health adaptation in these cities centers on hazard mapping and urban heat management.•However, a health adaptation gap exists in services, governance and capacity building.•Local health agencies should be strengthened and integrated into city climate planning.
The non-starter microbiota of Cheddar cheese mostly comprises mesophilic lactobacilli, such as
, and
. These bacteria are recognized for their potential to improve Cheddar cheese flavor when used as ...adjunct cultures. In this study, three strains of
(DPC2071, DPC4206, and DPC4536) were evaluated for their contribution to the enhancement and diversification of flavor in short-aged Cheddar cheese. The strains were selected based on their previously determined genomic diversity, variability in proteolytic enzyme activities and metabolic capability in cheese model systems. The addition of adjunct cultures did not affect the gross composition or levels of lipolysis of the cheeses. The levels of free amino acids (FAA) in cheeses showed a significant increase after 28 days of ripening. However, the concentrations of individual amino acids in the cheeses did not significantly differ except for some amino acids (aspartic acid, threonine, serine, and tryptophan) at Day 14. Volatile profile analysis revealed that the main compounds that differentiated the cheeses were of lipid origin, such as long chain aldehydes, acids, ketones, and lactones. This study demonstrated that the adjunct
strains contributed to the development and diversification of compounds related to flavor in short-aged Cheddar cheeses.
Metodos Se evaluaron los datos de la base de datos 2021 Cities Climate Adaptation Actions, elaborada por el Carbon Disclosure Project. Se incluyeron las ciudades con una poblacion superior a un ...millon de habitantes y que informaron de al menos una medida de adaptacion. Se identificaron las medidas relacionadas con la agricultura y la biodiversidad mediante un marco compuesto por cinco categorias de agrobiodiversidad: uso del suelo urbano y periurbano y gestion del agua, y cadenas urbanas de suministro de alimentos, disponibilidad de alimentos y entornos alimentarios. Asimismo, se identificaron los beneficios colaterales para la salud y la participacion del sector sanitario. Resultados De las 141 ciudades analizadas, 61 informaron de medidas sobre la biodiversidad agricola, en su mayoria de apoyo al uso del suelo o a la gestion del agua. Los principales resultados en materia de salud que se abordaron fueron las enfermedades relacionadas con la contaminacion del aire y el calor excesivo y las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores, que se corresponden con las principales preocupaciones sanitarias de las ciudades. Ademas, muchas ciudades abordaron la mitigacion de los gases de efecto invernadero. Hubo menos ciudades que informaron de medidas en las categorias de alimentos o de la preocupacion por las enfermedades no transmisibles o la mala nutricion. Casi dos tercios de las ciudades (40/61) informaron de beneficios colaterales para la salud o de la participacion del sector sanitario en al menos una intervencion. Un mayor porcentaje de las 43 ciudades de paises de ingresos bajos y medios informaron de medidas relacionadas con la agrobiodiversidad y los beneficios colaterales para la salud que las 18 ciudades de paises de ingresos altos.
Introduction: In mid-2007 the State of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia introduced modifications to the existing graduated driver licensing system, lengthening the mandatory number of supervised ...hours for learner drivers aged under 25 years from 50 to 120 and extending the minimum learner period from 6 to 12 months. Additional driving restrictions were also introduced for young drivers in the two provisional licensed periods, P1, P2. This paper aims to evaluate this change by comparing the crash and offense experiences of young learner drivers before and after it occurred. Method: From driver licensing files supplied by the NSW transport authority two cohorts of persons obtaining their initial learner's permits in the year prior to the changes and in the subsequent year were constructed with demographic data, dates of transition to the driving phases, dates of crashes, and dates and types of traffic offenses. Both cohorts comprised around 100,000 individuals. Crash rates per 100 years of person-time under observation post P1 with their standard errors were calculated. Using a survival-analytic approach the proportion of crashes of all types were graphed in three month periods post P1. Sexes were treated separately as were initial learner ages of 16, 17, 18–21, and 22–24 years. The distribution of traffic offense types during P1 and P2 phases were also compared. With such large numbers formal statistical testing was avoided. Results: No meaningful differences in the crash or offense experiences of the two cohorts in either sex or at any age were observed. Delaying progress to unsupervised driving has road safety benefits. Conclusions: At least in conditions similar to those in NSW, requiring more than 50 h of supervised driving seems to have few road safety benefits. Practical applications: Licensing authorities should be cautious in extending the mandated number of supervised driving hours beyond 50.
•We evaluated changes in 2007 to the graduated driver licensing system in an Australian state from its licensing database.•Crash and offence profiles of affected learners licensed in the years prior to and after the changes were compared.•No substantial year to year changes were observed in the crash rates, probabilities of crashing or offense distributions.
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