The Politics of “Natural” Disaster: Who Made Mitch So Bad?

Cockburn, Alexander; Clair, Jeffrey St.; Silverstein, Ken

doi:10.2190/bc4c-y1t9-23p8-u991

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Their global destruction puts in harm's way roughly a third of humanity who live within 100 km of the shore and at less than 50 m above sea level (42) at the same time that sea level rise and more extreme tropical storms increase the threat of storm surge and coastal flooding. Forest cover may reduce flooding and land slide activity during extreme storms (43). Wetlands and forest watersheds can filter pollutants and pathogens from surface water supplies (44,45); and, to some extent, forests filter particulates from the air (46)(47)(48).…”

Section: Highlights Of the Recent Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Human health impacts of ecosystem alteration

Myers

Gaffikin²,

Golden

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

377

261

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Human activity is rapidly transforming most of Earth's natural systems. How this transformation is impacting human health, whose health is at greatest risk, and the magnitude of the associated disease burden are relatively new subjects within the field of environmental health. We discuss what is known about the human health implications of changes in the structure and function of natural systems and propose that these changes are affecting human health in a variety of important ways. We identify several gaps and limitations in the research that has been done to date and propose a more systematic and comprehensive approach to applied research in this field. Such efforts could lead to a more robust understanding of the human health impacts of accelerating environmental change and inform decision making in the land-use planning, environmental conservation, and public health policy realms.At least since Hippocrates wrote On Airs, Waters, and Places, the natural environment has been viewed as an important determinant of human health. However, over the last century, the field of environmental health has focused increasingly on quantifying exposure-response relationships for toxins encountered in the human-dominated environment: from an initial focus on workplace exposures, to a population-level focus on radiation, heavy metals, air and water pollution, and more recently, to exposure to endocrinedisrupting chemicals. Over this period, relatively little attention has been paid to how changes in the structure and function of Earth's natural systems might affect human health. Growing evidence that changes in these natural systems can affect human health in a variety of important ways and the increasing pace and extent of these changes has prompted this Perspective. In it, we review current understanding of this field, identify some of its gaps and limitations, and suggest an approach to expanding our understanding.Human activity is transforming nearly all of Earth's natural systems. With the human population now exceeding 7 billion people and rapid growth in per capita consumption of goods and services, humanity's growing ecological footprint is altering the planet's land cover, rivers and oceans, climate system, biogeochemical cycles, and the

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Section: Highlights Of the Recent Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Human health impacts of ecosystem alteration

Myers

Gaffikin²,

Golden

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

377

261

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For example, land surface temperature indices have been used to assess health impacts of urbanization (Kalnay and Cai, 2003), spectral vegetation indices have been used to determine the impact of floods due to deforestation (Cockburn et al, 1999), and sea surface temperature and height have been used to explain the seasonal pattern of cholera outbreaks (Lobitz et al, 2000). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is the most often applied for use in epidemiology (Cringoli et al, 2005) and has been shown to have predictive properties in studies on onchocerciasis in Ethiopia (Gebre-Michael et al, 2005), schistosomiasis in Brazil (Bavia et al, 2005), and West Nile Virus in New York City (Brownstein et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality of cryptosporidiosis: A meta-analysis approach

Jagai

Castronovo²,

Monchak³

et al. 2009

Environmental Research

158

128

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Objectives-We developed methodology for and conducted a meta-analysis to examine how seasonal patterns of cryptosporidiosis, a primarily waterborne diarrheal illness, relate to precipitation and temperature fluctuations worldwide.Methods-Monthly cryptosporidiosis data were abstracted from 61 published epidemiological studies that cover various climate regions based on the Köppen Climate Classification. Outcome data was supplemented with monthly aggregated ambient temperature and precipitation for each study location. We applied a linear mixed-effects model to relate the monthly normalized cryptosporidiosis incidence with normalized location-specific temperature and precipitation data. We also conducted a sub-analysis of associations between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a remote sensing measure for the combined effect of temperature and precipitation on vegetation, and cryptosporidiosis in Sub-Saharan Africa.Results-Overall, and after adjusting for distance from the equator, an increase in temperature and precipitation predict an increase in cryptosporidiosis; the strength of relationship vary by climate subcategory. In moist tropical locations precipitation is a strong seasonal driver for cryptosporidiosis whereas temperature is in mid-latitude and temperate climates. When assessing lagged relationships temperature and precipitation remain strong predictors. In Sub-Saharan Africa, after adjusting for distance from the equator, low NDVI values are predictive of an increase in cryptosporidiosis in the following month.Discussion-In this study we propose novel methodology to assess relationships between disease outcomes and meteorological data on a global scale. Our findings demonstrate that while climatic conditions typically define a pathogen habitat area, meteorological factors affect timing and intensity of seasonal outbreaks. Therefore, meteorological forecasts can be utilized to develop focused prevention programs for waterborne cryptosporidiosis.

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“…The hurricane found people across Central America especially vulnerable to its ferocity because of the prevailing economic and political policies in the region. Those who have assessed the impact of Hurricane Mitch in Central America have stressed the role of pre-existing vulnerabilities and the cumulative effects of many hazards in causing such widespread destruction (Cockburn et al, 1999;Grunewald et al, 2000;IFRC, 1999;Russell, 1999). International and national organisations did not have the immediate capacity to deal with the aftermath of the hurricane since major donors had been decreasing their involvement in Central America prior to Mitch, moving to other regions as political, economic and humanitarian interests shifted elsewhere.…”

Section: %Dfnjurxqg Wr Wkh Uhvhdufkmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Scaling‐up’ in Emergencies: British NGOs after Hurricane Mitch

Lister

2001

Disasters

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This article examines research on NGO 'scaling-up' in a disaster context and links it to a broader discussion on whether scaling-up is a useful concept for understanding NGO processes in an emergency. Using concepts of scaling-up from development literature, research findings from a study of the responses of British NGOs to Hurricane Mitch in Central America are presented. The article assesses the extent and type of scaling-up that occurred, constraints faced by the agencies and the impact of scaling-up on support to partners. Broader issues relating to scaling-up post-Mitch are also explored. The conclusion suggests that while the concept of scaling-up is useful, the tendency for its use to refer to organisational growth has limited a wider understanding and evaluation of the role of Northern NGOs in humanitarian crises.

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The Politics of “Natural” Disaster: Who Made Mitch So Bad?

Cited by 18 publications

References 0 publications

Human health impacts of ecosystem alteration

Human health impacts of ecosystem alteration

Seasonality of cryptosporidiosis: A meta-analysis approach

‘Scaling‐up’ in Emergencies: British NGOs after Hurricane Mitch

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