HEALTH NEWS
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT - A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE
It will be difficult to reverse the health impacts of climate change on future generations, yet many of those projected impacts are avoidable. Taking steps to reduce your carbon footprint, an action required to prevent global warming, can also have a positive effect on your health. Action is required now:
Our carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of carbon dioxide (C02) and the other greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere on a day-to-day basis. It is measured in units of CO2 and usually expressed in kilogramme or tones. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), 2 tonnes per year, per person is recommended to prevent global warming and to protect human health from climate change. The average, however, is 4 tonnes per person. The activities that cause these emissions are either related to our individual activities or to services provided to or on behalf of us.
Averages By Country:
- USa - 20 tonnes per person
- Canada - 23 tones
- UK - 10 tonnes
- China - 3 tonnes
- India - 1.2 tonnes
Important Greenhouse Gases:
- Carbon dioxide
- Methane
- Water Vapour
- Ozone
When CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere, it prevents excess heat from escaping into space contributing to global warming. Emissions in the late years have been the highest ever. These changes are due mainly to human activities such as burning of fossil fuels. This have triggered a global public health concern and a call to protect human health from climate change. According to a series of reports on climate change, published by WHO, there are key characteristics of the health risks of global warming. The health risks are greatest in the poorest countries that contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions. Industrialised countries contribute most to the problems through their use of transport, energy, water, their dietary choices and waste management. The impacts of climate change on health are huge but avoidable. Disease such as malaria, diarrhea and protein-energy malnutrition take 3 million lives annually. These diseases are highly sensitive to climatic changes making them important global health concerns. With public health intervention and a strategy to reduce human impacts, these can be prevented.
REDUCING IMPACTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES
Reducing our carbon footprint will result in less greenhouse gas emissions. Although 55% of our carbon footprint is related to services provided to or on our behalf of us, there is a lot we can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You will find that these actions are also beneficial to health and the environment. The actions we should take are dependent on our environment.
- Do an audit
- Calculate your carbon footprint.
- Determine which actions are required for your environment.
- Reduce your carbon footprint to recommended level.
- Protect your health from climate change.
- Buy carbon credits to offset CO2 emissions.
- Lobby for strong protective policies.
After calculating your carbon footprint, you can offset it by buying credits. More information on offsetting your carbon footprint can be found at websites for health promotion and disease prevention. Better use of transport, water, food and energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect our health from climate change and prevent global warming.
TRANSPORTATION
Automobiles produce more than 20% of total carbon emissions. For each litre of fuel burnt in a car engine, 2.5kg of CO2 are produced. Walking, cycling and taking public transport as alternatives to driving will not only save on greenhouse gas emissions but will contribute to a healthy lifestyle. We will see a reduction in:
- Deaths by traffic accidents.
- Deaths from physical inactivity.
- Death from outdoor pollution.
- The risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and hypertension.
WATER
Climate change is expected to worsen water quality and quantity. Preservation of water quantity and quality will maintain safe drinking water and reduce the risks of waterborne diseases.
FOOD
Food production is major contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing consumption of meat and diary products in industrialized countries can result in less CO2 and methane emissions. WHO recommends 90g meat daily in industrialized countries. In developing and poorer countries meat intake may have to be increased. For healthy eating meat products can be replaced by meat alternatives such as fish, legumes and beans. One food serving (75g) of meat from animal source daily can reduce your carbon footprint while giving you the nutrition you require. On average the food in your supermarket travels thousands of miles from field to the supermarket. Buying local produce would reduce your carbon footprint by reducing food miles. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by reducing food miles. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by using organic produce. Other foods are likely to be grown with petroleum based fertilizers and pesticides.
ENERGY
Each year, 1.5 million people die as a result of indoor air pollution. Cleaning air filters regularly can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One clean air filter can save 175lbs of CO2 per year. We would see a reduction in the number of deaths due to indoor air pollution and occupational health hazards. All authorities, institutions, health systems and countries can put health at the heart of their climate change policy.
- Go for a run instead of driving to the gym.
- Do your shopping online instead of driving long distances.
- Car pool to school or to work.
- Buy locally-grown seasonal produce
- Use organis-based personal care and beauty products
- Take the train instead of the plane
- Walk, cycle or take public transport
Health Bulletin
Did You Know?
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of this sweetener to brain tumours and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss and mood changes.
Your 5-Year-Old Timeline : Tone and Meaning
Have you noticed how your child's speech changes depending on the person she's chatting with? When she's talking to her baby brother, her voice may become higher and more sing-song. "How's my wittle baby?" she says slowly and softly. As you enter the room, she switches to her more grown-up voice. "Daddy, can I give him the rattle?" It's back in toddlerhood that children begin to discern what kind of speech is appropriate in a situation and start to adjust accordingly. But 5 year-olds are enthralled by this idea in their play and everyday life. You can use this to your advantage with discipline: If you want to give a message emphasis, try whispering it rather than shouting. It will have more impact precisely because it's so different from everyday speech. Sing peppy rhymes during chores like cleaning up to make the job seem more fun. When you read together, use different voices for each character in a story. This is also a great time to introduce the etiquette rule that children don't speak to adults the same way they speak to their friends or siblings. At the playground, keep a watchful eye on your child to make sure she's behaving in ways that are civil and safe. You'll want to be able to intervene if there is hitting, kicking or dangerous play like rock throwing. But stop shot of hovering. Give your child room to behave like, well, a child. That includes testing limits (within reason) and trying to work out disagreements with playmates on her own.
Exercise Matters Long After Cancer Diagnosis
The familiar "eat right and exercise" message is particularly important for overweight elderly survivors of breast, prostate and colorectal cancers, because lifestyle factors can significantly affect their quality of life, new research shows. Researchers from New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre wanted to know whether overweight elderly cancer patients' quality of life - long after their original diagnosis and treatment - is affected by their health habits. The study involved interviews 753 men and women, all at least 65 years old, who had survived 5 or more years after a breast, prostate or colorectal cancer diagnosis. All were overweight to some degree, but none was morbidly obese. When the interviewers asked about exercise, diet, weight status and quality of life, they found that half the group got no more than 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week, and only 7% had healthful eating habits.
Overall, the survivors rated their mental and physical quality of life higher-than-average, compared to responses from age-matched normal populations. However, those who exercised more and had better diet quality also had better physical quality of life outcomes (e.g. better vitality and physical functioning) than those who exercised less and ate poorly. Also, the greater the body weight, the poorer the physical quality of life. In general, the results point to the potential negative impact of obesity and the positive impact of physical activity and a healthy diet on physical quality of life in cancer survivors. It's already known that physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of cancer recurrence and improved survival in both breast and colorectal cancer. Also there is some evidence that physical activity may help prevent sarcopenic obesity, a form of obesity associated with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy.
Listen To The Music.
Noise, in the form of music, is being touted as a possible pain relief treatment for people who have undergone surgery. A review published in the Cochrane Library, a publication that evaluates medical research, found that people who listened to music after surgery reported less pain than those who did not. People who listened to music had less need for morphine-like drugs, according to the review.
Sources:
The Borneo Post
Nature And Health Column
05 December, 2009