Spickett Jeffery T, Katscherian Dianne, McIver Lachlan
School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth Western Australia.
Glob J Health Sci. 2013 Jan 30;5(3):42-53. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v5n3p42.
Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges and Pacific island countries are particularly vulnerable due to, among other factors, their geography, demography and level of economic development. A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) framework was used as a basis for the consideration of the potential health impacts of changes in the climate on the population of Vanuatu, to assess the risks and propose a range of potential adaptive responses appropriate for Vanuatu. The HIA process involved the participation of a broad range of stakeholders including expert sector representatives in the areas of bio-physical, socio-economic, infrastructure, environmental diseases and food, who provided informed comment and input into the understanding of the potential health impacts and development of adaptation strategies. The risk associated with each of these impacts was assessed with the application of a qualitative process that considered both the consequences and the likelihood of each of the potential health impacts occurring. Potential adaptation strategies and actions were developed which could be used to mitigate the identified health impacts and provide responses which could be used by the various sectors in Vanuatu to contribute to future decision making processes associated with the health impacts of climate change.
气候变化是全球面临的最大挑战之一，太平洋岛国因其地理位置、人口结构和经济发展水平等诸多因素而格外脆弱。健康影响评估（HIA）框架被用作考量气候变化对瓦努阿图人口潜在健康影响的基础，以评估风险并提出一系列适合瓦努阿图的潜在适应性应对措施。HIA过程涉及众多利益相关者的参与，包括生物物理、社会经济、基础设施、环境疾病和食品等领域的专家部门代表，他们为理解潜在健康影响和制定适应策略提供了有见地的意见和投入。通过应用定性方法评估了与这些影响中的每一个相关的风险，该方法考虑了每种潜在健康影响发生的后果和可能性。制定了潜在的适应策略和行动，可用于减轻已确定的健康影响，并提供应对措施，供瓦努阿图各部门在与气候变化的健康影响相关的未来决策过程中使用。
