April - June 2011 Quarterly Newsletter Environment We . - CMS ENVIS

hydrocarbons (PAH) and other combustionrelated pollutants in newborns’ cord blood. Wheninhaled by the mother during pregnancy, thesepollutants can be transferred across the placentaand bind to the DNA of the fetus, forming“adducts” in blood and other tissues and providinga biologic measure of pollutant exposure.In urban air, traffic emissions are a dominantsource of the pollutants measured in the study.The authors accounted for other sources suchas environmental tobacco smoke and diet intheir analyses. None of the mothers in the studywere smokers. The study by researchers at theColumbia Centre for Children’s EnvironmentalHealth (CCCEH) and the Institute of CancerResearch in England is the first to examine thebehavioural effects of prenatal exposure tothese air pollutants in children using a biologicmarker.“The results are of potential concern sinceattention problems and anxiety and depressionmay affect subsequent academic performanceas well as peer relationships and other aspectsof societal functioning,” Dr Frederica Perera,the study’s lead author and Centre director,said.“Fortunately, it is possible to reduce these airpollutants through currently available pollutioncontrols, energy efficiency, and alternativeenergy sources,” she stated.The study, ‘PAH/Aromatic DNA Adducts inCord Blood and Behaviour Scores in New YorkCity Children’, has been published online inEnvironmental Health Perspectives, and is tobe released in an upcoming print issue.SOURCE: http://www.dnaindia.comToilet trouble: Time for India toclean up its actJun 5, 2011, Bindeshwar PathakOne of the greatest failures of the last 50years has been the failure to lay the foundationstones of public health in the developing world— hygiene, sanitation and water supply. It isa failure that today deprives millions not onlyof health but of productivity. It undermines thenormal mental and physical growth of risinggenerations, pollutes fresh water resourceswith faecal matter, and condemns over a billionpeople to live with a daily environmental crisisof squalor, smell, and disease. It is a failure4 GreenVoicethat holds back development of people and ofnations.Despite significant progress in the last twodecades, the demographic and environmentalhealth scenario continues to be a cause ofserious concern. The traditional problemsof water and air-borne infections combinewith malnutrition and poor environmentalsanitation to form a vicious cycle whichis increasing the burden of diseasesbeyond the capacity of the existing healthinfrastructure.Worldwide, approximately 1.8 million deathsand 61.9 million disability-adjusted-life years(DALYs) are attributable to unsafe water,sanitation and hygiene.In India diarrheal diseases alone cause morethan 0.6 million deaths annually. Study hasshown that in slum areas of major cities,diarrheal incidence as high as 10.5 episodesper child per year occur on regular basis.Diseases caused by faeco-orally transmittedenteric pathogens account for 10% of totaldisease burden in India. Statistics indicate thatintestinal group of diseases claim 5 million livesand about 50 million people suffer from thesediseases every year.It is our collective failure during the last threedecades that today 2.6 billion people lack accessto improved sanitation which represented42% of the world’s population.Unless we do something radically different,this huge burden of diseases would continueto jeopardize the productivity and well beingof the people. Sulabh International SocialService Organization has played a pioneeringrole in developing low cost technology for thecommunity and social mobilization for theireffective utilization. Today Sulabh toilets areused in more than a million homes all overthe country. If targets for sanitation, hygieneand safe water are achieved, the savings tothe health sector could range up to 6.3billion. The health sector’s stake is of criticalimportance and as such capacity building atthe grassroot level and NGO sector shouldreceive the priority that they deserve.(Founder, Sulabh International Social ServiceOrganization)SOURCE : http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.comA Newsletter from CMS ENVIS CENTRE on Environment and MediaFeatureCan Global Warming Give YouKidney Stones?Kate SheppardThe 1995 Chicago heat wave was one of themost brutal weather events the United Stateshas ever experienced. On July 13, the thermostathit 106 degrees. Many of the city’s poor andelderly residents had no air conditioning; manyof those who did lost power as blackouts sweptthe city. Soon, thousands were suffering fromdehydration, kidney failure, and respiratorydistress. The hospitals were overloaded; the citycouldn’t cope with the flood of 911 calls. Overthe following days, more than 600 people diedfrom heat-related illnesses, with hundreds ofbodies temporarily stored in refrigerated meattrucks because the city morgues were full.The Chicago disaster was the worst heat wavein recent US memory. But if greenhouse gasemissions continue on their current path, healthexperts say catastrophic heat waves are likelyto become far more common. Heat-relateddeaths in Chicago are expected to quadrupleby 2050, up from the current annual averageof 182, according to the US Global ChangeResearch Program, a government study. Risingtemperatures and accompanying atmosphericchanges will alter disease patterns and aggravateall manners of medical conditions, from asthmato respiratory diseases to--believe it or not-kidney stones. In May 2009, the medical journalThe Lancet and University College London’sInstitute for Global Health issued a major reportconcluding that climate change is the “biggestglobal health threat of the 21st century.”All of this means new costs for the US healthcare system--which will almost certainly bepassed on to consumers in the form of higherinsurance premiums. What is the insuranceindustry doing to prepare?So far, not much. In 2008, the NationalAssociation of Insurance Commissioners, the

group representing state government regulatorsof property, health, and life insurers, announcedthat all such companies would be required toreport both the risks and opportunities thatclimate change poses to their businesses. Somewere eager to get started. Property insurers,says Joel Ario, chair of NAIC’s climate taskforce, “are probably the only people I knowwho are more worried about climate changethan the environmentalists.”But the health insurers have been resistant.In a survey by NAIC, America’s HealthInsurance Plans, the industry’s powerful lobbygroup, responded that it “has not adoptedspecific practices to identify climate changerelated risks.” It added, “While we continueto monitor climate change as it pertains tothe global health care situation there is noconclusive information currently available toaddress the effects of climate change on healthcare.” The American Council of Life Insurersargued in a letter that “knowledge in thisarea is not sufficiently developed to warrantan immediate, significant, costly, and possiblydamaging change to the content and nature ofannual statement reporting.” After pushbackfrom the broader insurance industry, NAICmade disclosure voluntary on a state-by-statebasis. (Some states intend to move forwardwith the mandatory disclosure policies asplanned.)It’s true that there are many unansweredquestions about exactly how rising temperatureswill affect human health. But there’s mountingevidence that the impact will be significant,according to major research efforts fromthe Environmental Protection Agency, theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), the World Health Organization, theNational Institutes of Health, and the Centersfor Disease Control. The American Journal ofPreventative Medicine calls climate change “anenvironmental health hazard of unprecedentedscale and complexity.”Climate change, it turns out, has a few sideeffects. High temperatures make it harder forthe body to cool itself, which can cause heatcramps, exhaustion, and stroke--a particularconcern for people with heart conditions.Heat also affects air quality, as stagnant airleads to higher smog concentrations, whichin turn places stress on those with respiratoryconditions like asthma. Higher levels of carbondioxide will likely cause pollens to proliferate,while increased humidity will nurture fungalgrowth--two major aggravators of asthma andallergies. Hotter weather will also lead to thespread of disease. Mosquitoes carrying diseaseslike malaria, West Nile virus, and dengue feverwill migrate into new areas of the US. So willticks bearing Lyme disease. Water- and foodborne pathogens also thrive in balmier climes.In some places, winters will be warmer-but that creates problems, too. Increasedprecipitation is expected to trigger heaviersnowfalls and more ice storms, leading to moreaccidents and falls, says Paul Epstein of theCenter for Health and the Global Environmentat Harvard Medical School. A 2009 reportfrom the US Global Change Research Programfound that any decrease in hypothermiarelated deaths thanks to warmer winters “willbe substantially less than the increase in deathsdue to summertime heat extremes.”The US health care community is so far behindon the issue of global warming that it’s onlystarting to calculate the cost of these changes.But what little research exists suggests the billcould be big. Lyme disease already costs morethan 2.5 billion a year in medical expenses andlost work time--and climate models predictthat the area where Lyme-carrying tickscan survive will more than double over thenext 70 years. Any increase in asthma wouldlikewise boost the condition’s massive pricetag--currently 18 billion annually. A studypublished in the Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences found that kidney stonescould increase by 30 percent or more in someareas of the US, due to dehydration. Thatwould cost the US health care system morethan 1 billion per year.These are just a few of the anticipated healtheffects--accumulated, they could pose a majorliability for insurers. It’s a “time bomb,” saysMichael Gresty, managing principal of thesustainability consultancy Altanova, whichworks with corporate clients to reduce risks inthis area. “When the industry is not preparedfor a sudden shock like this, they either have todig into their reserves, or they have to increasetheir premiums to cover the increased costs ofproviding care.”On the bright side, one underappreciatedbenefit of tackling climate change is that itcould yield major health care savings. TheEuropean Environment Agency has found thatthe European Union’s plans to reduce carbonemissions 20 percent by 2020 would cuthealth costs by 44 billion dollars annually. Noequivalent analysis has been done for the US.But a study by the Clean Air Task Force foundthat shuttering dirty coal plants could savemore than twice as many lives as seat belts doeach year. Programs to reduce emissions, likeproviding better public transportation, couldalso result in indirect health care savings by wayof lower obesity rates and fewer respiratoryand heart problems. And a January study fromthe University of Wisconsin found that thebenefits of improved air quality that wouldcome from weaning the country off fossil fuelswould likely outweigh the short-term costs.Some insurance firms are beginning toacknowledge that climate change may affecttheir businesses. In a 2008 submission tothe Carbon Disclosure Project--a voluntaryprogram that helps major businesses assessclimate change-related risks--Prudential saidit had teams examining the implications ofincreased infectious disease and extremeweather events. The company is also “payingattention more” to markets like Mexico,India, and China, where diseases like malariamay spread, says Mary O’Malley, chair ofPrudential’s environmental task force. But, shesays, Prudential is only starting to evaluate therisks and hasn’t made substantial changes toits business model. Likewise, Aetna concludedin a submission to the disclosure project thatglobal warming may lead to “higher health carecosts for everyone.” But it, too, is in the earlystages of assessing the problem.Smart insurers, says Gresty, should work tocalculate climate-related risks and push for policychanges to reduce those risks. “That would be aninvestment in the future that would be protectiveof their business,” he says. And given theindustry’s massive lobbying tab, policymakersmight well listen. Says Harvard’s Epstein,“Through their own policies as well as nationalpolicies, the insurers can have a huge voice.”Kate Sheppard is a staff reporter in MotherJones’ Washington bureau. She was previouslythe political reporter for Grist and a writing fellowat The American Prospect.SOURCE: http://www.motherjones.comA Newsletter from CMS ENVIS CENTRE on Environment and Media5GreenVoice

ColumnNot hot! Your sex life ‘hit by globalwarming’Chelsea SchillingGlobal warming may make the world’sinhabitants cranky and stressed, drive themcrazy, give them cancer and even worsen theirsuffering from sexual dysfunction, according toa new government report on climate change– but the scientists say more money is neededbefore they can be certain.What are the consequences of doing nothing?In a nutshell: Humanity will suffer everyimaginable illness, and the world will essentiallyend.Government scientists from several taxpayerfunded agencies, including the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, the NationalInstitute of Environmental Health Science,the State Department and the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, compiled an 80-pagereport titled, “A Human Health Perspectiveon Climate Change: A Report Outlining theResearch Needs on the Human Health Effectsof Climate Change.”It’s time to shine some sunlight on the globalwarming scam! In ‘Climategate,’ a veteranmeteorologist exposes the Marxists’ junkscienceThe “ancient-forest friendly” report, printedwith 100 percent recycled ink, is organizedaround the following 11 human healthcategories the scientists believed were likelyto be affected by climate change: asthma, allergies and airway diseases cancer cardiovascular disease and stroke alterations in normal development heat-related morbidity and mortality mental health and stress disorders neurological diseases and disorders6 GreenVoicenutrition and food-borne illnessvector-borne and zoonotic diseasewaterborne diseaseweather-related morbidity and mortalityAsthma and allergiesThe scientists concluded that respiratoryallergies and diseases will become moreprevalent because, they claim, growing seasonswill be altered, increasing human exposure topollen.“Climate change will likely amplify ry allergies, and airway disease,resulting in more severe and frequent diseaseexacerbations and an increase in the overallburden of these conditions,” the report states.“Thus, continued research on climate change’seffect on alterations in the composition ofaeroallergens and air pollutant mixturesand their consequent effects on health isessential.”Cancer in animals and humansAccording to the report, climate change willalso cause a worldwide increase in cancerin humans and animals, especially followingheavy rainfall and “by increased volatilizationof chemicals under conditions of increasedtemperature.”“In the case of heavy rainfall or flooding,there may be an increase in leaching of toxicchemicals and heavy metals from storage sitesand increased contamination of water withrunoff containing persistent chemicals that arealready in the environment,” it warns. “Marineanimals, including mammals, also may sufferdirect effects of cancer linked to sustained orchronic exposure to chemical contaminants inthe marine environment, and thereby serve asindicators of similar risks to humans.”The report also warns that climate changewill result in increased duration and intensityof ultraviolet radiation, raising the risk of skincancers and cataracts.Here’s inside story on what ‘climate change’is an issue now, is “Global Warming or GlobalGovernance?”A Newsletter from CMS ENVIS CENTRE on Environment and MediaCardiovascular disease and strokeThe scientists also claim climate change willexacerbate existing cardiovascular disease“increasing heat stress, increasing the bodyburden of airborne particulates, and changingthe distribution of zoonotic vectors that causeinfectious diseases linked with cardiovasculardisease.”According to the report, extreme cold andextreme heat can serve as “stressors inindividuals with pre-existing cardiovasculardisease.” It also states that heat amplifiesadverse impacts of ozone and particulates oncardiovascular disease.“These pollutants are likely to be affected byclimate-change mitigation activities, and thus,likely reduce rates of cardiovascular morbidityand mortality,” it states.The scientists also say increased use of wind,wave, solar and nuclear power is “likelyto reduce cardiovascular risks by reducingparticulate and other air pollution emissions.”Foodborne illness and nutritionClimate change may cause food shortages,malnutrition and food contamination, thegroup warns. According to the report, extremeweather events and changes in temperatureand precipitation patterns may annihilatecrops, destroy food supplies and interruptdistribution of food. People may contractfoodborne illnesses from food that is spoiledor contaminated with microbes, pesticides orother toxins.The scientists also claim agricultural crops andfisheries may be threatened with contaminationby metals, chemicals and other toxins releasedinto the environment after extreme weatherevents, such as flooding, droughts and wildfiresdue to climate change.Heat-related morbidity and mortality“As a result of anthropogenic climate change,global mean temperatures are rising, and areexpected to continue to increase, regardless ofprogress in reducing greenhouse emissions,” thereport warns. “Global average temperaturesare projected to increase between 1.8 and 4.0degrees Celsius by the end of this century.”

The temperature increase is likely to result in heatwaves, the scientists say. Prolonged heat exposuremay result in heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heatstroke and death and “exacerbate preexistingchronic conditions such as various respiratory,cerebral, and cardiovascular disease, as well asincreasing risk for patients taking psychotropicdrug treatment for mental disorders ”While the group notes that air conditioningmay reduce heat-related risk, it warns,“increased use of air conditioning may result inhigher greenhouse gas emissions. In addition,to the extent that power grids becomeoverburdened during excessive heat events,resulting in blackouts and brownouts couldleave populations at increased risk of death.”Genetic mutations, birth defectsAccording to the report, climate change mayimpact the health of future generations.“Some changes to the environment resultingfrom climate change could alter normal humandevelopment both in the womb and laterin life,” the report states. Pregnant womenmay suffer from malnutrition, resulting in lowbirth weight and developmental deficits. Thescientists claim contaminants such as mercuryand lead in fish and seafood may causedevelopmental effects.“For example, certain commercial chemicalspresent in storage sites or hazardous wastesites can alter human development,” it explains.“Flooding from extreme weather events andsea-level ris

Natural Resource Management (Watershed, Forestry and Livelihoods) Wildlife Conservation An Analysis Report by CMS ENVIS Centre 1 COPENHAGEN SUMMIT COPENHAGEN SUMMIT COPENHAGEN SUMMIT COPENHAGEN SUMMIT (December 7-18, 2009) COVERAGE IN PROMINENT INDIAN NEWS CHANNELS December 24, 2009 COPENHAGEN SUMMIT