Measuring Impact of Climate Change on Indigenous Health in the Background of Multiple Disadvantages: A Scoping Review for Equitable Public Health Policy Formulation

Abstract

How climate change is uniquely affecting Indigenous health remains a very less explored area in the existing research literature. The imperative of inclusive climate action to protect indigenous health multiplies manifolds due to their unique vulnerabilities owing to predominant dependence on natural resources and multiple disadvantages faced. The current article attempted to add to the evidence pool regarding climate change impacts on the indigenous population by systematically collecting, processing, and interpreting data as a scoping literature review for effective and inclusive climate policymaking. Twenty-Nine articles of varied study designs were identified employing a systematically organized search strategy using PubMed (Field, MeSH, and advanced search) and Google scholar; relevant data were extracted for further analysis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were followed. Changing climate scenarios had both direct and indirect health-related impacts on indigenous health, and altered the epidemiological triad for various health-related events, causing the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, and increased prevalence of chronic diseases and mental disorders. An expanded framework was developed showcasing the variability of climate change events, multiple disadvantages, and its impacts on indigenous populations. Few studies also reported a wide range of adaptation responses of indigenous peoples towards climate change. It was substantiated that any climate-change mitigation policy must take into account the trials and tribulations of indigenous communities. Also, due to the complexity and large variability of the impacts and differences in mitigation capabilities, policies should be contextualized locally and tailored to meet the climate need of the indigenous community.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous Peoples’ health and wellbeing: A systematic umbrella review

“…Reported changes to physical environments were extensive and severe, characterized as "[the risk of] large scale ecological transformation" [ 53 :12] and "dramatically declining" [ 49 :3]. Aquatic [e.g., 48 , 49 ], atmospheric [e.g., 33 ], and terrestrial [e.g., 41 , 53 ] changes were described, as well as, most notably, cryospheric changes across Arctic and Subarctic regions (e.g., ice depth, extent, and timing of break-up/freeze-up) [e.g., 32 , 35 , 37 , 43 , 58 , 59 ] ( Table 3 ).…”

“…A total of 33 reviews (86.8%) identified and described the proximal impacts of observed ecosystem changes on human health, often tied to higher temperatures and variable precipitation. Records identified an overall increase in disease susceptibility [ 43 , 51 , 58 ] and mortality [ 32 , 46 ], alongside an array of acute and chronic physiological impacts, such as increased heat stress and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases [ 48 , 51 ], respiratory illnesses like asthma and airborne diseases [ 32 , 33 , 43 , 48 , 51 , 58 ], and increased UVB exposure [ 56 ]. Mental health challenges were also reported, including emotional responses of worry, sadness, anger, and emotional distress [ 32 , 35 , 58 , 60 ].…”

“…Beyond threats to food safety from foodborne illnesses, nutrition-related impacts were reported in 15 reviews (39.4%). Micronutrient deficiencies were reported across geographies [ 44 , 48 , 49 , 57 , 58 ]. Climate-driven food insecurity negatively impacts diet quality, particularly in relation to traditional foods access [ 30 , 52 , 55 ].…”

“…Finally, 17 articles (44.7%) identified that ecosystem changes globally are creating threats to human safety. Most notably, natural calamities or environmental hazards such as flooding were known to increase accidental injury or death [ 32 , 35 , 38 , 48 , 50 , 58 ]. Subsequent erosion, particularly in coastal regions of Latin America and the Circumpolar North, was also tied to these health risks by causing infrastructure instability [ 42 , 53 ].…”

“…Many studies focused on harvesting-related vulnerabilities [ 39 ] that constrain subsistence activities such as hunting, fishing, and foraging [ 32 , 35 , 39 , 43 , 52 , 55 ]. Across geographies, agroecosystem productivity constraints were identified, which significantly reduced land productivity, food and medicine diversity, and drinking water quality and availability [ 29 , 42 , 48 , 49 , 52 , 54 , 58 , 59 ]. Water scarcity was a particular concern in the Global South (Latin America, Africa, South Asia, Oceania) and seen as a key driver of food insecurity and disease [ 44 , 46 , 48 , 53 , 54 ].…”