Drought–heatwave nexus in Brazil and related impacts on health and fires: A comprehensive review

Alves

et al. 2022

Rev. bras. meteorol.

Resumo O aquecimento do sistema climático é um fato. Esse fenômeno impacta globalmente a vida humana e suas atividades. Observações apontam para um aquecimento médio de 1,01 °C e as causas evidenciam a contribuição antropogênica, como a queima de combustíveis fosseis e derivados, bem como atividades ligadas ao uso indiscriminado da terra. Como consequência desse aquecimento, há mais condições para a ocorrência de eventos meteorológicos extremos, como as ondas de calor, secas e enchentes, as quais tem sido mais recorrente e devastadoras. Nesse estudo visa-se diagnosticar a ocorrência de ondas de calor, e seus aspectos sazonais, sobre partes da região Nordeste do Brasil (NEB) entre 1991-2020, comparando-se com áreas dos setores centro-oeste, norte e oeste da Amazônia (AMAZ) e partes da região Centro-Oeste/Sudeste do Brasil (SUDE). Os resultados mostraram que os efeitos do aquecimento global sobre essas regiões nas últimas décadas são inequívocos. Na variabilidade interanual de 1991-2020, e em suas estações, observou-se aumento no número de dias favoráveis e casos de ocorrência de ondas de calor, independente da atuação em dias, bem como de ondas de 3, 4, 5 e 6 dias de duração após os anos 2000 em todas as regiões analisadas, mais evidente na AMAZ e NEB.

Section: Resultados E Discussõesunclassified

Ocorrência de Ondas de Calor com Dados de Reanálises em áreas do Nordeste, Amazônia e Centro-Sudeste do Brasil

Alves

et al. 2022

Rev. bras. meteorol.

“…To the best of our knowledge, few epidemiological studies of heat waves-related mortality have been conducted in Brazil [12,13]. One multi-city study examined the impacts of heat waves on all-cause mortality and reported the results at national level [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of heat waves on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

et al. 2023

Background Heat waves are becoming more intense and extreme as a consequence of global warming. Epidemiological evidence reveals the health impacts of heat waves in mortality and morbidity outcomes, however, few studies have been conducted in tropical regions, which are characterized by high population density, low income and low health resources, and susceptible to the impacts of extreme heat on health. The aim of this paper is to estimate the effects of heat waves on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to sex, age, and heat wave intensity. Methods We carried out a time-stratified case-crossover study stratified by sex, age (0–64 and 65 or above), and by sex for the older group. Our analyses were restricted to the hot season. We included 42,926 participants, 29,442 of whom died from cardiovascular and 13,484 from respiratory disease, between 2012 and 2017. The death data were obtained from Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Health Department. We estimated individual-level exposure using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) method, with temperature and humidity data from 13 and 12 stations, respectively. We used five definitions of heat waves, based on temperature thresholds (90th, 92.5th, 95th, 97.5th, and 99th of individual daily mean temperature in the hot season over the study period) and a duration of two or more days. Conditional logistic regression combined with distributed lag non-linear models (DLNM) were used to estimate the short-term and delayed effects of heat waves on mortality over a lag period (5 days for cardiovascular and 10 for respiratory mortality). The models were controlled for daily mean absolute humidity and public holidays. Results The odds ratios (OR) increase as heat waves intensify, although some effect estimates are not statistically significant at 95% level when we applied the most stringent heat wave criteria. Although not statistically different, our central estimates suggest that the effects were greater for respiratory than cardiovascular mortality. Results stratified by sex and age were also not statistically different, but suggest that older people and women were more vulnerable to the effects of heat waves, although for some heat wave definitions, the OR for respiratory mortality were higher among the younger group. The results also indicate that older women are the most vulnerable to heat wave-related cardiovascular mortality. Conclusion Our results show an increase in the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory mortality on heat wave days compared to non-heat wave ones. These effects increase with heat wave intensity, and evidence suggests that they were greater for respiratory mortality than cardiovascular mortality. Furthermore, the results also suggest that women and the elderly constitute the groups most vulnerable to heat waves.

Public Health Challenges

“…Regarding cardiovascular diseases, the fraction of deaths attributed to heat stress, with a global warming of +4 • C, is predicted to be 40% in the Northern, 35% in the Northeastern, and 25% in Center-West capitals [16]. Heat waves have already been responsible for increased mortality and preterm births during record-breaking droughts in southeastern Brazil between 2013 and 2015 [17]. In Brazil, heat exposure is associated with an increase in all-cause hospitalizations and those due to ischemic heart disease, asthma, pneumonia, renal diseases, mental health conditions, and neoplasms, impacting the demand for medical and surgical care [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of climate change on public health in Brazil

Ferreira

Leite

Cerutti

et al. 2023

Brazil is South America's largest country and economy, represented mainly by agricultural commodities. Its vast rainforest and biodiversity are at constant risk from human actions that are seen by scientists contributing to climate change. This article dissects how Brazil influences and is directly and indirectly affected by climate change and possible strategies to control the current situation. Climate change impacts Brazilian public health in multi‐scenarios and is influenced by socioeconomical and geopolitical aspects, such as urbanization, access to sanitation and sewage, precipitation intensity and frequency, and public health policies. Therefore, surveillance and control measures, alongside socioeconomic policies, must be orchestrated to minimize human actions that impact climate change.