We need health-oriented responses to climate change
Interview with Isabel Proaño Gómez, Director of Policy and Communications, European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA)
By Vlatka Matkovic, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)
Q: How does climate change impact the life of respiratory patients?
Most people living with allergy, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) understand that their environment can affect their condition, but they might not link it directly as a consequence of climate change. Patients are mostly aware of the impact air pollution has on their bodies and well-being, whether it is due to smoke, air pollution or high pollen counts. We see growing evidence that allergy and respiratory patients’ health are among the most impacted by the climate emergency. Scientists are now able to measure the health effects of climate-change extreme weather events such as heatwaves. Such important and detailed research brings tangible information on climate change hazards and their serious consequences for the most vulnerable.
The impact of climate change on health can be varied and intense as it can result in healthy people experiencing short-term episodes, which turns into long-term conditions, such as asthma. For example, European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) and our member associations are following closely the reconstruction efforts after the intense flooding in central Europe in July 2021, as research shows that damp in buildings lead to a 30-50 percent increase in respiratory and asthma-related events.
We are also aware of estimates of health effects of heatwaves: for each Celsius degree increase in temperature, the premature death risk among respiratory patients increases six times compared to the general population. These are very worrying facts.
Q: Adaptation measures are on the agenda. As one of the vulnerable populations, how do you cope with climate change?
Despite that we are living in a climate emergency, there is very scarce information for patients, as authorities rather address messages to vulnerable groups as a homogenous whole composed of children, pregnant women, people with existing conditions and the elderly. This hinders patients’ ability to cope as they need tailored information and more tools to self-manage and take decisions for their health with confidence. The patient community is requesting basic tools such as disease management plans, yet according to recent research less than half of asthma and COPD patients have a disease management plan (Active Patients Access Care, EFA, 2019: https://efanet.org/images/ShowLeadership/Report-Showleadership_FINAL.pdf) Currently the existing plans lack environmental exposure information.
With such limited investment in prevention and self-management, patients can feel abandoned when they seek advice and help. On the occasion when a heatwave hits, recommendations to vulnerable groups typically are to remain in a cooled place, drink a lot of water and remain vigilant, but these recommendations might not be accessible to everyone, and too simplistic for patients with an underlying condition.
Q: How do you work to improve the situation?
Part of my work at EFA consists in bringing patients’ needs to decisions makers so that when public health, preparedness and response programmes are planned, patients’ rights to information and prevention are taken into account. We would like to see better local coordination and response strategies between emergency services, civil protection mechanisms, healthcare settings, and the media, as well as civil society engagement including of patient groups to reduce the impact of extreme climate change events.
Q: As a patient group, do you see any research gaps that could benefit people that are most affected such as respiratory patients?
All the work carried out by scientists to gather knowledge about climate change events, trends and phenomena impacting health are extremely valuable for our allergy and respiratory community. It is paramount to measure and quantify the health effects climate change poses to our health to be able to adapt our lives.
There are huge gaps between what science brings us and the policy response to enable patients to cope with climate change. There is solid evidence that the sustained temperature increase affects biodiversity and the lifecycle of plants, which extends the pollen session and the allergenicity of pollen counts.
We also know that thunderstorms induce the hydration of pollen grains and increase asthma, while strong winds contribute to trapped allergens, virus, and fungus transferring across territories. We are not aware that these findings are leading to preventative measures nor more public health campaigns.
Q: In the run up to COP26, what are your hopes that would be achieved/highlighted there that would have (immediate) effects on patients with respiratory diseases?
The climate crisis is a health crisis and patients are among the most visible victims. We have joined WHO in its efforts to bring a health programme to COP26 and EFA is supporting a global joint letter gathering healthcare professionals, the environmental health sector, public health researchers and patients to bring attention to the health effects of climate change. In 2021 we are fighting to be heard and to bring to decision-makers the seriousness of the health casualties that climate change provokes.
As an outcome to COP26, I would like more investment into research, knowledge gathering and health-oriented responses to climate change. The European Commission has just launched the European Climate and Health Observatory and the Health and Emergency Response Authority, and I hope these two structures will become the watchdog on climate change effects on health that we are currently missing at high political level in Europe.
EFA has the following recommendations of what is needed:
Research that serves to predict and monitor changes in air quality due to climate change events.
Accurate real-time satellite data that models health effects and can predict air quality at the local level, which will help patients take informed decisions to protect their health.
Further development of the imaging of the European Copernicus programme and its coverage, to systematically monitor pollen counts, sandstorms and thunderstorms that all have a clear impact in our respiratory health.