Abstract
Our goal was to identify the climate change-related health risks and vulnerable populations specific to the mountainous regions of the Hindu Kush–Himalayas. We reviewed published information of the likely health consequences of climate change in mountain regions, especially the findings of a workshop for countries in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya region, organized by the World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, and United Nations Development Programme. The main climate-related risks in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya region include the expansion of vector-borne diseases as pathogens take advantage of new habitats in altitudes that were formerly unsuitable. Diarrheal diseases could become more prevalent with changes in freshwater quality and availability. More extreme rainfall events are likely to increase the number of floods and landslides with consequent death and injuries. A unique risk is sudden floods from high glacier lakes, which cause substantial destruction and loss of life. Because glaciers are the main source of freshwater for upland regions and downstream countries, the long-term reduction in annual glacier snowmelt is expected to heighten existing water insecurity in these areas. Climate change also is bringing some benefits to mountain populations, including milder winters and longer growing seasons. Populations in mountain regions have unique combinations of vulnerabilities to climate change. The extent of the health impacts experienced will depend on the effectiveness of public health efforts to identify and implement low-cost preparedness and response measures, and on the speed at which emissions of greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albritton DL, Meira Filho LG, et al. (2001) Technical Summary. Working Group 1, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Barnett TP, Adam JC, Lettenmaier DP (2005) Potential impacts of a warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions. Nature 438:303–309
Barry RG (1992) Mountain, Weather and Climate, London: Routledge
Barry RG (1997) The Status of Our Present Understanding of Mountain Climates and Our Capabilities to Detect and Monitor Climate Change, Boulder, CO: University of Colorado. Available: http://www.mtnforum.org/resources/library/barry-a.htm [accessed January 22, 2005]
Bhattacharya S, Sharma C, Dhiman RC, Mitra AP (2006) Climate change and malaria in India. Current Science 90:369–375
Bohler E, Bergstrom S (1996) Frequent diarrhoeas in early childhood have sustained effects on the height, weight, and head circumference of children in East Bhutan. Acta Paediatrica 85:26–30
Bradley D (1977) Health aspects of water supplies in tropical countries. In: Water, Wastes and Health in Hot Climates, Feachem R, McGarry M, Mara D (editors), Chichester, UK: Wiley
Dahal N (2005) Perceptions in the Himalayas. Tiempo 56:19-24
Ebi KL, Hartman J, McConnell JK, Chan N, Weyant J (2005) Climate suitability for stable malaria transmission in Zimbabwe under different climate change scenarios. Climatic Change 73:375–393
Huddleston B, Ataman E, d’Ostiani LF (2003) Towards a GOS-Based Analysis of Mountain Environments and Populations. Environment and Natural Resources Working Paper No. 10. FAO, Rome
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007) Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Climate Change 2007: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Summary for Policymakers. Available at: http://www.ipcc.ch; [accessed April 12, 2007]
Iyngararasan M, Tianchi L, Shrestha S (2002) The Challenges of Mountain Environments: Water, Natural Resources, Hazards, Desertification and the Implications of Climate Change. Draft background paper E1 for the Bishkek Global Mountain Summit 2002
Lal M, Harasawa H, Murdiyarso K, Adger WN, Adhikary S, Ando M, et al. (2001) Asia. In: Climate change 2001. Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,. McCarthy JJ, et al. (editors), Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp 533–590
Martens P, Kovats RS, Nijhof S, deVries P, Livermore MTJ, Bradley DJ, et al. (1999) Climate change and future populations at risk of malaria. Global Environmental Change 9:S89–S107
Meehl GA (1994) Influence of the land surface in the Asian summer monsoon: external conditions versus internal feedbacks. Journal of Climate 7: 1033–1049
Moffat T (2003) Diarrhea, respiratory infections, protozoan gastrointestinal parasites, and child growth in Kathmandu, Nepal. American Journal of Physiology and Anthropology 122:85-97
Parry ML, Rosenzweig C, Iglesias A, Livermore M, Fischer G (2004) Effects of climate change on global food production under SRES emissions and socio-economic scenarios. Global Environmental Change 14: 53–67
Pokhrel BM, Kubo T (1996) Outbreaks of cholera in Nepal. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 27:574–579
Pokhrel D, Viraraghavan T (2004) Diarrhoeal diseases in Nepal vis-à-vis water supply and sanitation status. Journal of Water and Health 2:71–81
RAO (2006) Bhutan’s Nature. Available: http://www.raonline.ch/pages/story/bt/btbg_glacier02a.html#lunana [accessed November 4, 2006]
Rogers DJ, Randolph SE (2000) The global spread of malaria in a future, warmer world. Science 289:1763–1769
Shrestha AB, Wake CP, Mayewski PA, Dibb JE (1999) Maximum temperature trends in the Himalaya and its vicinity: an analysis based on temperature records from Nepal for the period 1971–94. Journal of Climate 12:2775–2786
Smith JB, Shellnhuber HJ, Qader Mirza MM, Frankhauser S, Leemans R, Erda L, et al. (2001) Vulnerability to climate change and reasons for concern: a synthesis. In: McCarthy JJ, et al. (editors), Climate change 2001. Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp 913–967
Tanser FC, Sharp B, leSueur D (2003) Potential effect of climate change on malaria transmission in Africa. Lancet 362:1792–1798
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2000) Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Monitoring and Early Warning System. Available: http://www.rrcap.unep.org/issues/glof; [accessed November 22, 2005]
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (2001) Available: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/habitats/mountains/statistics.htm [accessed November 3, 2006]
Van Lieshout M, Kovats RS, Livermore MTJ, Martens P (2004) Climate change and malaria: analysis of the SRES climate and socio-economic scenarios. Global Environmental Change 14:87–99
WHO (2002) World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, Geneva: World Health Organization
WHO (2006) Human Health Impacts from Climate Variability and Change in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya Region: Report of an Inter-regional Workshop, Mukteshwar, India, New Delhi, India: Regional Office for Southeast Asia
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the participants in the inter-regional workshop on human health impacts from climate variability and change in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya region. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the World Health Organization.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ebi, K.L., Woodruff, R., von Hildebrand, A. et al. Climate Change-related Health Impacts in the Hindu Kush–Himalayas. EcoHealth 4, 264–270 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-007-0119-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-007-0119-z