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"Mitigation and Health Improvement" Slide Pack (Mar 09)
by Frances Mortimer | Fri, 23/01/2009 - 13:06
"The Science of Climate Change" Slide Pack (Mar 09)
by Frances Mortimer | Fri, 23/01/2009 - 12:55Lancet: Tackling Climate Change Good for Health
by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 01/12/2009 - 21:23
The health benefits of strategies for tackling climate change were described as "a convenient truth" at the launch of groundbreaking research published by the Lancet last week.
Population adiposity and climate change
by Frances Mortimer | Sun, 31/05/2009 - 11:32Journal name:
International Journal of Epidemiology
Volume & page reference:
1 - 4
Publication date:
19 Apr 2009
Resource type:
research article
Brief description:
"The increasing global prevalence of overweight and obesity has serious implications for the environment, as well as for health. We estimate the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of increases in the population distribution of body mass index (BMI). Compared with a normal population distribution of BMI, a population with 40% obese requires 19% more food energy for its total energy expenditure. Greenhouse gas emissions from food production and car travel due to increases in adiposity in a population of 1 billion are estimated to be between 0.4 Giga tonnes (GT) and 1.0 GT of carbon dioxide equivalents per year."
DOI Doc Object Identifier :
doi:10.1093/ije/dyp172
Health and Wealth in the 21st Century
A public health debate which began at the UKPHA 17th Annual Forum in March 2009.
At the UK Public Health Association's 17th Annual Forum on 26 March 2009, the UKPHA Health and Sustainable Development Action Group hosted a workshop "Health and Wealth in the 21st Century - what role will public health play?"
A sustainable community?
How will we create communities with a focus on people - their contentment, wellbeing, resilience and fulfilment? Will it be possible within current economic systems and the impacts of climate change? What role should public health play? Speakers William Bird (Natural England), Anna Coote (New Economics Foundation) and Jonathan Harris (DH East Mids) kicked off discussion. As a society, can we shift our measures of success from those of economic growth and life expectancy to the more complex but important wellbeing? And how do we measure this?
This connection has been set up to share insights from the workshop and to invite continuing debate on this important area of policy development - please visit the opinion and discussion pages, and give your views!
Food Climate Research Network
by Frances Mortimer | Sat, 28/02/2009 - 08:46Resource type:
website & network
Brief description:
The Food Climate Research Network is a UK research council-funded initiative. It works to research & promote ways of achieving absolute reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the whole UK food chain. Excellent website with a lot of useful resources.
External URL:
Unhealthy foods and greenhouse gas emissions
A discussion of the links between greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector and unhealthy foods
Many of the foods that are the most polluting in terms of greenhouse gas emissions (red meat, highly processed foods) are also contributory factors to poor diets in individuals. Therefore, initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector by reducing consumption of energy intense foods may result in public health improvements such as reductions in saturated fat intake and obesity levels.
I am a researcher in the Department of Public Health at University of Oxford and I am investigating the association between greenhouse gas emissions of individual foods and the 'healthiness' of those foods (measured using a nutrient profile model). I will be presenting my work at the UKPHA conference in Brighton in March.
I would like to know if there are other people who have investigated the links between greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector and unhealthiness of foods or diets. Also, I would be interested to know of any datasets of greenhouse gas emissions for foods that have been calculated for foods consumed in the United Kingdom. Any thoughts on this area would be most welcome!
Health Professionals' Roles in Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, and Human Health
by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 03/02/2009 - 12:43Journal name:
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume & page reference:
Volume 36, Issue 2, Pages 182-187
Publication date:
1 Feb 2009
Resource type:
review article
Brief description:
"What we eat is rapidly becoming an issue of global concern. With food shortages, the rise in chronic disease, and global warming, the impact of our dietary choices seems more relevant today than ever. Globally, a transition is taking place toward greater consumption of foods of animal origin, in lieu of plant-based diets. With this transition comes intensification of animal agriculture that in turn is associated with the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and the epidemics of chronic disease and obesity. Health professionals should be aware of these trends and consider them as they promote healthier and more environmentally-sustainable diets."
DOI Doc Object Identifier :
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.09.043
Healthy solutions for the low carbon economy
by Frances Mortimer | Wed, 21/01/2009 - 21:47Published by:
Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment
Publication date:
1 Jul 2008
Resource type:
report
Brief description:
This report examines the suite of energy choices available - the "stabilization wedges" - through a health and environmental lens. The methodology includes: a) assessing net energy gains and b) conducting full life-cycle analyses of the potential health, ecological and economic consequences of proposed technologies and practices.
