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  Yahoo News 3 Jul 07
Officials discuss health, climate change
By Margie Mason, AP Medical Writer

Yahoo News 2 Jul 07
Warming may impact Asia-Pacific region
By Margie Mason, AP Medical Writer

Yahoo News 2 Jul 07
UN calls for pedal power to reduce environmental damage
by M. Jegathesan

Straits Times 3 Jul 07
Global warming will have dire impact on regional health, say experts

PlanetArk 3 Jul 07
WHO Urges Asia to Prepare for Climate Change Crises

KUALA LUMPUR - Asian nations must prepare to tackle disasters unleashed by global warming with the same urgency they now focus on fighting disease epidemics, the World Health Organisation said on Monday.

And with Asia's share of global greenhouse gas emissions from burning fuels expected to grow, urgent action was needed to mitigate the situation, said Shigeru Omi, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.

"For environmental issues, if you wait until the crisis happens, it will be too late," Omi told reporters in the Malaysian capital.

"Everybody is interested in economic development, but somehow we have to strike the balance between this development and the preservation of nature," Omi added. "And unless we do the action now, we will be faced with very serious consequences."

The WHO had been successful in urging member states to prepare themselves to fight communicable diseases, such as SARS and bird flu, Omi said, but similar action was needed in preparing for likely environmental disasters.

"That kind of preparedness should also be applied to environmental issues, because we know it is just a matter of time," he added. "Unless we take action for the environment, disaster will come."

Rising global temperatures are melting Himalayan glaciers, threatening to inundate low-lying atolls and create unsanitary conditions that breed disease, destroy crops and compromise food supplies, Omi told a WHO workshop on climate change.

"Increasing temperatures are among the variables that affect malaria, and the disease is emerging and re-emerging in places where it did not exist before, or for a long time," he said.

The mosquito-borne disease had been found in the highlands of Papua New Guinea this year, he added, after re-emerging in South Korea in late 1990.

Rising temperatures had also driven a surge in dengue fever in Asia, Omi said. In the tiny city state of Singapore, for example, the mean annual temperature rose to 28.4 degrees Celsius in 1998 from 26.9 Celsius in 1978, contributing to a more than 10-fold increase in dengue cases over the two decades.

Fighting global warming and rising emissions would require innovative tax incentives and subsidies for clean energy or energy-saving industries, besides the development of environmentally friendly technologies, and lifestyle changes to cut the use of cars.

By gathering evidence of the negative impact of climate change, the WHO hoped to get countries to change their ways, Omi added.

"Everybody knows the environment issues, but still their primary concern is economic development, so it's very important to give the evidence of this environmental degradation," he said. "If you continue to focus on the economic profit, earth as a whole will suffer."

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

Straits Times 3 Jul 07
Global warming will have dire impact on regional health, say experts

KUALA LUMPUR - RISING temperatures are expected to have a huge impact on the health of people in the Asia-Pacific region, causing spikes in everything from dengue fever to food poisoning, scientists said yesterday.

Delegates at a conference here painted a bleak future for those living in this region if steps are not taken now to address climate change.

Scientists said droughts will lead to lower crop yields and higher malnutrition in some areas; dust storms and wildfires will boost respiratory illnesses; and flooding from severe storms will increase injuries, drowning and disease.

'We have now reached a critical stage at which global warming has already seriously impacted the lives and health of the people,' said Dr Shigeru Omi, director of the World Health Organisation's Western Pacific region.

'This problem will pose an even greater threat to mankind in coming decades if we fail to act now.'

The region is already feeling the effects of global warming, with climate change linked to some 77,000 deaths each year - about half the global total of deaths blamed on climate change, according to WHO.

Dr Omi pointed to heat-related deaths in Shanghai jumping three times above the norm in 1998, when a massive summer heatwave drove temperatures up to about 40 deg C.

In Singapore, a correlation has been seen between rising temperatures and the number of dengue fever cases reported. As mean annual temperatures climbed from 26.9 deg C in 1978 to 28.4 deg C 20 years later, dengue fever cases increased tenfold during that time, Dr Omi said.

In addition, malaria has recently reached Bhutan and areas in Papua New Guinea for the first time, as warmer temperatures have allowed the mosquitoes that spread the disease to breed there.

Conference delegates, including officials from 16 countries, said it is important for policymakers to understand the link between greenhouse gas emissions and health.

They called on countries to devote more resources to address health issues already plaguing the region to help lessen the blow as the effects of climate change become more dire. Tax incentives and pricing policies were suggested to get companies to become more environmentally friendly.

The conference here is part of a four-day workshop in Malaysia to lay the groundwork for a ministerial-level meeting on the topic next month in Bangkok. ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yahoo News 2 Jul 07
Warming may impact Asia-Pacific region
By Margie Mason, AP Medical Writer

Rising temperatures are expected to have a huge impact on people's health in the Asia-Pacific region, causing more of everything from food poisoning to malaria, scientists said Monday.

Delegates at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, painted a bleak future for the health of those living in the world's most populous region if steps are not taken now to address climate change.

Scientists said droughts will lower crop yields and raise malnutrition in some areas, dust storms and wildfires will boost respiratory illnesses, and flooding from severe storms will increase drownings, injuries and disease.

"We have now reached a critical stage at which global warming has already seriously impacted the lives and health of the people," said Shigeru Omi, director of the World Health Organization's Western Pacific region.

"This problem will pose an even greater threat to mankind in coming decades if we fail to act now," he said.

Conference delegates, including officials from 16 countries, said it is important for policy-makers to understand the link between greenhouse gas emissions and health.

They called on countries to devote more resources to address health issues already plaguing the region to help lessen the blow as the effects of climate change become more dire.

Tax incentives and pricing policies were suggested as a way to get companies and consumers to become more environmentally friendly.

Moving toward energy-efficient technologies and greener buildings — especially in large, rapidly developing countries such as India and China — can also make a difference.

"The problem is the management of rapid growth on the one hand and environmental protection on the other," said Carlos Corvalan, coordinator of WHO's Interventions for Healthy Environments unit in Geneva.

"The easy way out is fast development that pollutes and we worry about it later. But countries need to realize that there's going to be a cost somewhere — either you pay it now or you pay it in the future."

The Asia-Pacific already is feeling the effects of global warming, with climate change directly or indirectly linked to some 77,000 deaths each year in the region — about half the global total of deaths blamed on climate change — according to WHO.

That figure does not include deaths linked to urban air pollution, which kills more than 400,000 people annually in China alone. Last month, China passed the United States to become the largest greenhouse gas emitter, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

Omi noted that heat-related deaths in Shanghai, China, had jumped three times above the norm in 1998 when a massive summer heat wave drove temperatures to about 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Singapore has seen a correlation between rising temperatures and the number of dengue fever cases, with mean annual temperatures climbing from 26.9 C (80.4 F) in 1978 to 28.4 C (83.1 F) 20 years later. Dengue fever cases jumped 10-fold during that time, he said.

Malaria has recently reached Bhutan and new areas in Papua New Guinea for the first time. In the past, mosquitoes that spread the disease were unable to breed in the cooler climates there, but warmer temperatures have helped vector-borne diseases to flourish.

The meeting comes two months after the third in a series of major climate change reports was released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists.

The four-day workshop in Malaysia lays the groundwork for a ministerial-level meeting on the topic next month in Bangkok, Thailand.

A chapter of the IPCC report devoted to health says food and water supplies will be hit by global warming in some areas, with the poorest countries in Asia and Africa expected to suffer the most.

It said increasing temperatures could lead to the growth of more harmful algae that can sicken people who eat shellfish and reef fish. People living in low-lying coastal areas will also face more storms, flooding and saltwater intrusion into fresh groundwater that is vital for drinking.

Yahoo News 2 Jul 07
UN calls for pedal power to reduce environmental damage
by M. Jegathesan

More bicycle riding and other lifestyle changes are urgently needed to reduce climate-altering carbon emissions that are damaging Asia's health and could also threaten the economy, the World Health Organisation said Monday.

Climate change contributes directly or indirectly to about 77,000 deaths per year in the region, according to WHO estimates.

"So far the impact is on the health of the people. If the trend continues, it may have an impact on the economy," said Shigeru Omi, WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific.

"Of course the threat is there. We should not wait for that to happen," he told reporters at the start of a four-day conference on the impact of climate change and health in Southeast and East Asian countries.

Omi said urgent action was needed because Asia's share of the world's greenhouse gas emissions was expected to grow larger with the rapid economic expansion of China and India.

"We have now reached a critical stage at which global warming already has seriously impacted lives and health and this problem will pose an even greater threat to mankind in coming decades if we fail to act now," Omi said.

He said that in some countries environmental issues were not given the highest priority but "if we ignore the environment, humanity will suffer."

Omi proposed greater use of bicycles, the use of clean energy sources, and tax incentives to reduce carbon emissions. "... we have to adopt lifestyles that are not only healthy but also environment friendly such as reducing the use of private vehicles, walking more or riding bicycles," he said in a speech.

"Subsidising clean energy or energy-saving technology encourages the use of cleaner energy for industrial development," he said.

Health threats from global warming include malaria and dengue fever due to the proliferation of mosquitoes, while reduced rainfall and water shortage could lead to waterborne diseases, the UN health agency said.

Carbon dioxide from energy use is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases which scientists blame for global warming. At least 40 participants from 16 countries including China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have gathered to identify innovative ways to combat climate change.

Omi said proposals from the gathering to fight climate change would be discussed at an inaugural regional forum on environment and health in Thailand next month.

A key UN report released earlier this year warned that billions would face a higher risk of water scarcity and millions more would likely go hungry as damage to the Earth's weather systems from greenhouse gases changed rainfall patterns, powered up storms and increased the risk of drought, flooding and water stress.

Yahoo News 3 Jul 07
Officials discuss health, climate change
By Margie Mason, AP Medical Writer

Officials from more than a dozen Asian countries met Tuesday in Malaysia to outline health problems their populations are facing in relation to a rise in global temperatures.

Officials discussed ways to work together to limit the fallout in a region expected to be hit hard by flooding, drought, heat waves, mosquito-borne diseases and waterborne illnesses.

The World Health Organization estimates climate change has already directly or indirectly killed more than 1 million people globally since 2000. More than half of those deaths have occurred in the Asia-Pacific area, the world's most populous region.

Those figures do not include deaths linked to urban air pollution, which kills about 800,000 worldwide each year, according to WHO.

"We're not going to have a magic bullet to fix climate change in the next 50 years. We need to motivate an awful lot of people to change their behavior in a lot of different ways," said Kristie Ebi, of the WHO's Global Environmental Change unit, a lead author on the health chapter in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists.

Ebi said health officials are about a decade behind other sectors, such as water and agriculture, in taking a look at what climate change could mean and how to deal with it.

She said countries seeing the effects firsthand are now starting to realize that any problems with air, water or food will directly affect people's health.

The poorest countries in Asia and Africa are expected to suffer the most.

Scientists have predicted droughts will lower crop yields and raise malnutrition in some areas, dust storms and wildfires will boost respiratory illnesses, and flooding from severe storms will increase drowning, injury and disease such as diarrhea.

Increasing temperatures could also lead to the growth of more harmful algae that can sicken people who eat shellfish and reef fish.

People living in low-lying coastal areas will also face more storms, flooding and saltwater intrusion into fresh groundwater that is vital for drinking.

Singapore saw mean annual temperatures increase 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit between 1978 and 1998, while the number of dengue fever cases jumped 10-fold during the same period.

Malaria has recently reached Bhutan and new areas in Papua New Guinea for the first time. In the past, mosquitoes that spread the disease were unable to breed in the cooler climates there, but warmer temperatures have helped vector-borne diseases to flourish.

Melting of glaciers in the Himalayas have created about 20 lakes in Nepal that are in danger of overflowing their banks, which could create a torrent of water and debris capable of wiping out villages and farms below.

The four-day workshop in Malaysia lays the groundwork for a ministerial-level meeting on the topic next month in Bangkok, Thailand.
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