Conference Material > Video (keynote)
Bhutta ZA
MSF Paediatric Days 2022. 2022 November 30
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Conference Material > Abstract
Hopkins S, Hazel A, Pourtois J, Chamberlin A, Gajewski Z, et al.
MSF Scientific Day International 2023. 2023 June 7; DOI:10.57740/vj1f-v594
INTRODUCTION
An undervalued role of rural healthcare provision is its impact on forests and carbon balance. In addition to the effects of healthcare provision and livelihood programmes on improved human health, these programmes can also reduce forest degradation and prevent deforestation-related carbon emissions, since unaffordable healthcare drives logging as a source of rescue income. Shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic may exacerbate this dynamic. Health In Harmony and Planet Indonesia are two planetary health non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) that work together with communities living in and around tropical rainforests in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
METHODS
We used a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey in November-December 2021 to evaluate healthcare access and livelihoods in 1,016 households across six NGO-affiliated villages and four unaffiliated control villages. Additionally, satellite-generated imagery retrieved between January 2018 and December 2021 was used to contrast relative deforestation rates in 28 NGO-affiliated and 1,421 unaffiliated control villages bordering protected rainforests across Kalimantan.
ETHICS
This study was approved by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board and by the Institut Pertanian Bogor Ethical Review Board.
RESULTS
After accounting for environmental variables that affect deforestation, satellite analysis suggested that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, average weekly deforestation rates in NGO-affiliated villages (0.018%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.012-0.026%) were 70% lower than in unaffiliated villages (0.062%; 95%CI, 0.045-0.078%; p<0.0001). Following the WHO pandemic declaration, deforestation rates dropped and then gradually rebounded in both NGO-affiliated and unaffiliated villages, with NGO-affiliated villages maintaining significantly lower average deforestation rates (0.008%; 95%CI, 0.005-0.011%) during the pandemic than unaffiliated villages (0.026%; 95%CI, 0.019-0.032%; p<0.01). Survey results indicated that clinic visits, out-of-pocket healthcare spending, and the proportion of households unable to access healthcare increased across all villages during the pandemic. The main reasons given for access problems were around fears of contracting Covid-19, unaffordability, or clinic closure. Throughout the pandemic, households affiliated with Health In Harmony, which runs a health clinic, were less likely to report barriers to affordable clinic access than households in unaffiliated villages (14% vs. 29%; odds ratio (OR); 0.41,95%CI, 0.2-0.69). Households in NGO-affiliated villages were more likely to do jobs with low environmental impact (e.g., small-scale farming, conservation; OR 1.61,95%CI, 1.15-2.24). Half of households in both groups reported income loss from at least one source during the pandemic, but households in NGO-affiliated villages were more likely to gain alternative income from multiple job types, especially resource-neutral jobs (e.g., public servant, sales, services). Additionally, households in NGO-affiliated villages had more sources of economic support, such as government programmes, co-operatives, family and NGO’s (OR 1.36, 95%CI, 1.11-1.69).
CONCLUSION
Communities with better access to healthcare and livelihood support were associated with significantly lower deforestation rates prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this lower reliance on forest-degrading income was resilient to the pandemic shock.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
None declared.
An undervalued role of rural healthcare provision is its impact on forests and carbon balance. In addition to the effects of healthcare provision and livelihood programmes on improved human health, these programmes can also reduce forest degradation and prevent deforestation-related carbon emissions, since unaffordable healthcare drives logging as a source of rescue income. Shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic may exacerbate this dynamic. Health In Harmony and Planet Indonesia are two planetary health non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) that work together with communities living in and around tropical rainforests in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
METHODS
We used a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey in November-December 2021 to evaluate healthcare access and livelihoods in 1,016 households across six NGO-affiliated villages and four unaffiliated control villages. Additionally, satellite-generated imagery retrieved between January 2018 and December 2021 was used to contrast relative deforestation rates in 28 NGO-affiliated and 1,421 unaffiliated control villages bordering protected rainforests across Kalimantan.
ETHICS
This study was approved by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board and by the Institut Pertanian Bogor Ethical Review Board.
RESULTS
After accounting for environmental variables that affect deforestation, satellite analysis suggested that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, average weekly deforestation rates in NGO-affiliated villages (0.018%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.012-0.026%) were 70% lower than in unaffiliated villages (0.062%; 95%CI, 0.045-0.078%; p<0.0001). Following the WHO pandemic declaration, deforestation rates dropped and then gradually rebounded in both NGO-affiliated and unaffiliated villages, with NGO-affiliated villages maintaining significantly lower average deforestation rates (0.008%; 95%CI, 0.005-0.011%) during the pandemic than unaffiliated villages (0.026%; 95%CI, 0.019-0.032%; p<0.01). Survey results indicated that clinic visits, out-of-pocket healthcare spending, and the proportion of households unable to access healthcare increased across all villages during the pandemic. The main reasons given for access problems were around fears of contracting Covid-19, unaffordability, or clinic closure. Throughout the pandemic, households affiliated with Health In Harmony, which runs a health clinic, were less likely to report barriers to affordable clinic access than households in unaffiliated villages (14% vs. 29%; odds ratio (OR); 0.41,95%CI, 0.2-0.69). Households in NGO-affiliated villages were more likely to do jobs with low environmental impact (e.g., small-scale farming, conservation; OR 1.61,95%CI, 1.15-2.24). Half of households in both groups reported income loss from at least one source during the pandemic, but households in NGO-affiliated villages were more likely to gain alternative income from multiple job types, especially resource-neutral jobs (e.g., public servant, sales, services). Additionally, households in NGO-affiliated villages had more sources of economic support, such as government programmes, co-operatives, family and NGO’s (OR 1.36, 95%CI, 1.11-1.69).
CONCLUSION
Communities with better access to healthcare and livelihood support were associated with significantly lower deforestation rates prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this lower reliance on forest-degrading income was resilient to the pandemic shock.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
None declared.
Conference Material > Meeting Report
MSF Paediatric Days
MSF Paediatric Days 2022. 2023 June 6
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Journal Article > CommentaryFull Text
Global Health. 2020 July 9; Volume 16 (Issue 1); 54.; DOI:10.1186/s12992-020-00582-3
Schwerdtle PN, Irvine E, Brockington S, Devine C, Guevara M, et al.
Global Health. 2020 July 9; Volume 16 (Issue 1); 54.; DOI:10.1186/s12992-020-00582-3
Climate change is adversely affecting health by increasing human vulnerability and exposure to climate-related stresses. Climate change impacts human health both directly and indirectly, through extreme weather events, changing distribution of health risks, increased risks of undernutrition, population displacement, and greater risks of injuries, disease, and death (Ebi, K., Campbell-Lendrum, D., & Wyns, A. The 1. 5 health report. WHO. 2018). This risk amplification is likely to increase the need for humanitarian support. Recent projections indicate that under a business as usual scenario of sustained greenhouse gas emissions, climate change could double the demand for humanitarian assistance by 2050 (World Health Organization. Operational Framework for building climateresilient health systems. WHO. 2015). Humanitarian assistance is currently not meeting the existing needs, therefore, any additional burden is likely to be highly challenging.
Global health advocates, researchers, and policymakers are calling for urgent action on climate change, yet there is little clarity on what that action practically entails for humanitarian organizations. While some humanitarian organizations may consider themselves well designed to respond, climate change as a transversal threat requires the incorporation of a resilience approach to humanitarian action and policy responses.
By bringing together authors from two historically disparate fields - climate change and health, and humanitarian assistance – this paper aims to increase the capacity of humanitarian organizations to protect health in an unstable climate by presenting an adapted framework. We adapted the WHO operational framework for climate-resilient health systems for humanitarian organizations and present concrete case studies to demonstrate how the framework can be implemented. Rather than suggest a re-design of humanitarian operations we recommend the application of a climate-lens to humanitarian activities, or what is also referred to as mainstreaming climate and health concerns into policies and programs. The framework serves as a starting point to encourage further dialogue, and to strengthen collaboration within, between, and beyond humanitarian organizations.
Global health advocates, researchers, and policymakers are calling for urgent action on climate change, yet there is little clarity on what that action practically entails for humanitarian organizations. While some humanitarian organizations may consider themselves well designed to respond, climate change as a transversal threat requires the incorporation of a resilience approach to humanitarian action and policy responses.
By bringing together authors from two historically disparate fields - climate change and health, and humanitarian assistance – this paper aims to increase the capacity of humanitarian organizations to protect health in an unstable climate by presenting an adapted framework. We adapted the WHO operational framework for climate-resilient health systems for humanitarian organizations and present concrete case studies to demonstrate how the framework can be implemented. Rather than suggest a re-design of humanitarian operations we recommend the application of a climate-lens to humanitarian activities, or what is also referred to as mainstreaming climate and health concerns into policies and programs. The framework serves as a starting point to encourage further dialogue, and to strengthen collaboration within, between, and beyond humanitarian organizations.
Journal Article > CommentaryFull Text
J Clim Chang Health. 2023 September 9; Online ahead of print; 100270.; DOI:10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100270
Schwerdtle PN, Devine C, Guevara M, Cornish S, Christou C, et al.
J Clim Chang Health. 2023 September 9; Online ahead of print; 100270.; DOI:10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100270
Technical Report > Policy Brief
Smiley S, McIver L, Schwerdtle PN, Lugli M, Claire A, et al.
2021 October 21
This brief details MSF’s experiences providing humanitarian assistance in contexts heavily affected by climate change; adapting our operations to climate-related threats; and working to reduce our environmental impact. Much like the process of ‘greening’ this vast, global movement, this brief is incomplete, imperfect: it tells an infinitely complex story from a limited range of perspectives, and poses more questions than it answers as we grapple with emergent facts. Given the imminent existential threat presented by current levels of environmental degradation, these limitations can probably be forgiven. But as we witness the human toll and deep injustice of the climate crisis, silence is, once again, not an option.
Technical Report > Policy Brief
Baxter LM, Cowan K, Devine C, Guevara M, Kalub D, et al.
2022 October 27
As an independent international medical humanitarian organisation responding to health crises in more than 70 countries, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is seeing first-hand the suffering caused or exacerbated by climate change and environmental degradation, most often experienced by the most vulnerable people. We are witnessing how climate change directly threatens health – for example, through death and injury due to extreme weather – and how climate change impacts health indirectly, through food insecurity and shifting patterns of climate-sensitive infectious diseases.
Recognising the role of the climate crisis in amplifying humanitarian needs, MSF is adapting its operations to be more responsive to the populations it serves while also facing up to the challenges of measuring and reducing its own environmental footprint.
Recognising the role of the climate crisis in amplifying humanitarian needs, MSF is adapting its operations to be more responsive to the populations it serves while also facing up to the challenges of measuring and reducing its own environmental footprint.
Journal Article > ReviewFull Text
Wellcome Open Res. 2023 August 14; Volume 8; 343.; DOI:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.19490.1
Sheather J, Littler K, Singh JA, Wright K
Wellcome Open Res. 2023 August 14; Volume 8; 343.; DOI:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.19490.1
Anthropogenic climate change is unequivocal, and many of its physical health impacts have been identified, although further research is required into the mental health and wellbeing effects of climate change. There is a lack of understanding of the importance of ethics in policy-responses to health and climate change which is also linked to the lack of specific action-guiding ethical resources for researchers and practitioners. There is a marked paucity of ethically-informed health input into economic policy-responses to climate change—an area of important future work. The interaction between health, climate change and ethics is technically and theoretically complex and work in this area is fragmentary, unfocussed, and underdeveloped. Research and reflection on climate and health is fragmented and plagued by disciplinary silos and exponentially increasing literature means that the field cannot be synthesised using conventional methods. Reviewing the literature in these fields is therefore methodologically challenging. Although many of the normative challenges in responding to climate change have been identified, available theoretical approaches are insufficiently robust, and this may be linked to the lack of action-guiding support for practitioners. There is a lack of ethical reflection on research into climate change responses. Low-HDI (Human Development Index) countries are under-represented in research and publication both in the health-impacts of climate change, and normative reflection on health and climate change policy. There is a noticeable lack of ethical commentary on a range of key topics in the environmental health literature including population, pollution, transport, energy, food, and water use. Serious work is required to synthesise the principles governing policy responses to health and climate change, particularly in relation to value conflicts between the human and non-human world and the challenges presented by questions of intergenerational justice.
Conference Material > Video (talk)
Burza S
MSF Scientific Day International 2023. 2023 June 7; DOI:10.57740/kn2v-0h76
Journal Article > CommentaryFull Text
BMJ. 2021 December 3; Volume 375 (Issue n3008); n3008.; DOI:10.1136/bmj.n3008
Voûte C, Guevara M, Schwerdtle PN
BMJ. 2021 December 3; Volume 375 (Issue n3008); n3008.; DOI:10.1136/bmj.n3008