Health Risks at Public Health Area - Case Study Example

 «Public Health» The health risks that are in current society are not only from personal choices that individuals make. There are also complications because of climate change which is directly affecting public health and the inability to have the same resources available. For many, this is leading to alternative health choices that are not able to assist with those who are trying to maintain the correct health. Agronomic consequences are one of the components which affect public health and change the community nutritional values that are within society. This paper will define how agronomic practices are forced to change because of climate change as well as how this affects public and individual health. The practices will include a focus on alternative agricultural practices that are altered with land use, specifically which leads to overgrazing, land clearing and fertilizer applications. The paper will define the overall problem with this practice as well as public health responses that can help to negate the difficulties that are arising from the alternative climate change. Description of Problem The agronomic consequences that are linked to climate change carry several complications. The environmental impact is the first complication, which is directly linked to the clearing of forests and the over production of different land. As this continues to occur, there are not as many resources available for wildlife and the public. More important, this creates an imbalance with the resources as opposed to offering sustainability in various wildlife areas. It is known that the degradation of land and the deforestation that has occurred has caused a loss of forest productivity, biomass and large spatial scales that can no longer be used because of the damage which has occurred. The spatial areas have created fragmentation and non – sustainable practices through the natural infrastructure, which is making the areas difficult to recover. This has left the forest ecosystems with an environmental impact that is difficult to rejuvenate for sustainability of resources (Easterling, Apps, 2005). The environmental impact not only creates problems with sustainability among forests and natural areas but also increases health risks because of the socioeconomic impacts which occur. Food security and poverty are directly linked to the inability to have sustainable resources available for the public, which may lead to increasing rates of malnutrition and starvation in areas of the world which are dependent on natural resources. For the economics, this creates a reduction and loss in the economic consistency that is within the environment. The social problems also link to fertilized foods and genetic engineering. This also has the potential of leading to malnutrition and a lack of food, specifically because the nutrients and the needed components for eating the correct foods are not available. The health risks then begin to increase in various ways, both through those who have been dependent on natural resources as well as the lack of available food to others in society (Sanchez, 2000). Public Health Responses The concerns of environmental, social and economic concerns have led to several public health responses to counteract the complications which are occurring. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of the areas which are beginning to find some of the problems associated with climate problems and to begin promoting alternative means for healthy living. The main focus is to assess the scientific and socioeconomic information on climate change and to create different ways to adapt to the agronomic complications through scientific, technical and socioeconomic options. The main approach is to begin looking at systems that are able to provide sustainable development in the environment with the hope of restoring the resources as well as reversing the socioeconomic effects of climate change. It is believed that many can learn to naturally adapt to the climate change, specifically with a change of diets and agricultural systems while others will need others are facing resource depletion that is leading to poverty. The ability to create a sustainable environment through diverse resources is then becoming a main implication to begin to recover from the climate change damage that has occurred (McCarthy, 2001). The concept of adaptation as a main component is one that is being used specifically to reduce damage that is within the environment. It is believed that if many begin to adapt to climate change by using alternative resources and lessening consumption of natural resources, then it will give time for the forests and other spaces to begin to reform back to natural options. This is not only applicable to deforestation, but also to agricultural practices such as fertilization. Adapting to different types of fertile foods can help to redistribute environmental needs, create water control in the environment and will lead to ecological management. The adaptation is one that is defined specifically for short term goals but may lead to sustainable results in recovering the damage done within different agronomic sectors (Mendelsohn, 2000). Another concept that is currently being approached in relation to agronomic changes is based on health promotion that is designed to create sustainable development and equity. The promotion is based on restoring the natural environment through advocacy groups that are concerned with environmental awareness. Promotion is being seen with grass root movements that are working toward restoring the natural habitat of various areas. Sustainable development is being noted with this as new ways of using resources and working with different regions is being promoted. The environmental impact is one that is expected to lessen as regulations from various corporations is now being limited with equity policies which are changing the way in which resources are used. The advocacy groups that are in public health arenas are focused on providing information and in changing both policies and sustainable development practices, specifically to impact the environment and socioeconomic changes in a positive manner (Burton et al, 2003). The sustainable development that is occurring is also leading to a different focus on global food security, specifically to change the economic effects of the climate change that is occurring. There are four elements that have been defined with food security, including availability, stability, utilization and access. The dimensions for food security are then defined by controlling and monitoring each of the effects while understanding the positive and negative impacts for health. The health protection which is combined with the food security is designed to create stability economically while ensuring that the stability offered doesn’t have a negative impact on health. The main component is to look at the socioeconomic consequences of those that don’t have food security first because of a lack of availability, specifically which is leading to poverty within society. The stability and utilization is then available to change the economic impact as well as the social implications from climate change. The result which is expected through the policies for health protection are used to determine new dimensions for health while ensuring that individuals remain healthy with the climate change that has already occurred (Schmidhuber, Tubiello, 2007). Another alteration which is being considered is focused specifically on the fertilized crops and the damage which this is creating to sustainable environments. The vulnerability of various ecosystems is continuing to be affected, specifically because of the way in which fertilized crops are approached as well as how the chemicals spread to different areas, which leads to destruction in the environment and among wildlife. This is divided into several sectors, including coastal resources, agriculture, grasslands, livestock, water resources, forest, wildlife and human health. Each of these is impacted economically and with the environmental destruction which is occurring. The practical adaptation which is recommended for these various components includes changing the amount of resources used and reducing the number of pesticides used on different land. To change the resources, developments in infrastructure are required, specifically which can prevent disease and protect health among those that are in the region. Coping strategies are combined with ways to eliminate the practices in different regions while assisting with human health through programs that alter from the number of resources available to various regions (Dixon, Smith, Guill, 2003). Relationship of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation The concept of adaptation from an environmental, social and economic perspective is based on finding preventative measures for health while changing the climate back to its normal resources. A central issue which is now recognized from public health is one that is directly associated with the complexities of climate change and the impact which is occurring from this. The most drastic changes are coming from disease that results from a lack of food and sustainable development in various countries, specifically which is seen through malnutrition and poverty. The strategies which are developed come from government agencies and population health services that are related to clinics in various areas. The expected impact with adaptation and the mitigation strategies is to find ways to reverse the poverty and challenges with health through the use of organizations and agencies, specifically which can reduce the problems with resources while redistributing the needed options for health (Frumkin et al, 2008). Another concept of mitigation this is combining public health strategies with agronomic practices is linked to long term strategies by health practitioners to change the climate change problems. The first way in which this is done is based on the level of vulnerability that is noted as well as what the consequences are. The adaptive capacity that is noted is followed by climate changes in the community that are defined to restructure the natural and social systems. However, the assessments which have been developed are limited to climate changes that are more vulnerable and susceptible to damages. The mitigation is based on finding ways to eliminate problems such as fertilization and chemicals on the land, enhancing natural resources and replenishing the land. Advocacy for adaptation is following this by finding spatial systems and monitoring and changing the system back to natural resources. Learning how to adapt and promoting public health with adaptation measures are becoming the main mitigation strategies that are developing for long term results and to begin diminishing the effects of climate change (Fussel, Klein, 2005). Public Health Professional Responses The specific concepts which are applied to adaptation and building sustainability are followed with public health professional responses. The public currency which has been developed begins with the implications on agronomic practices and how this affects public health. Education that is a part of this includes how the problems with climate change are affecting public health through malnutrition and poverty. These are combined with education about the practices used with chemicals on the land which are leading to complications within the environment. The main concept which is being used from this perspective is to show how land use and land cover changes are both creating problems within the environment and leading to difficulties for public health professionals. The response through education is based on creating adaptability and sustainable development while working toward policies that implement the adaptability through different regions. For example, policies based on the types of chemicals which can be used, resources which can’t be used and the quantity of land which can be developed are all implied. Environment development policies are at the root of this, all which are based on changing the environmental, social and economic shifts which are occurring (Lambin, 2001). Another policy recommendation from health professionals is to reexamine the agricultural impacts that are currently being made and to look at how these can be enhanced for different types of practices. The focus is to re-examine the climate that is currently being affected by the changes as well as how this may lead to disease, lack of reliable resources and social impacts. The policies which are being examined are based on scientific responses to the environment through crop production. Policy recommendations are to redefine the agronomic practices by evaluating what is being done and to create alternative expectations for sustainable development. However, since there is little known on the direct effects of agronomic practices and how it affects public health, most practitioners are looking at educational concepts and development that examines how pesticides, chemicals and destruction of land directly impacts public health beyond poverty and malnutrition. By doing this, there will be the ability to look at policies that eliminate the practices that are forcing climate change (Easterling et al, 2003). Another way in which policies are being affected is through the noticed changes that are occurring in health and how these are directly related to disease from climate change. The only way in which public health can make recommendations for policies is to find specific diseases and problems within the environment. From this perspective, public health policies can’t link directly to agronomics at first, but instead have to correlate with diseases that are found. For instance, vector – borne diseases are known as a response to terrestrial ecosystems and consequences for the health systems. The public pressures are then able to increase which forces the policy recommendations. The vector – borne diseases are an example of implications to change water systems, offer sustainable development without chemical and pesticide practices and to create policies that don’t cause deterioration within the environment (Sutherst, Ingram, Sherm, 1998). Conclusion Complications with climate change are not only problematic because of the deterioration of natural resources and imbalances within the environment. The associations with public health are creating more controversies which link directly to the changes from climate change and the abuse of the land. Agronomic practices are one of the defined alterations that are associated with climate change and the inability to have sustainable development for both the environmental concerns and for public health. Examining the complications that are associated with public health and agronomic practices creates a different meaning toward the problems which are arising from the changes within the environment. When examining the public health consequences from agronomic practices, it is seen that there are several dimensions which need to be considered. The abuse of different sectors of land is leading to spatial problems and a lack of resources to be made available within the environment. More important, there are difficulties which are arising in terms of the land not having the capability of recovering. The environmental complications are creating difficulties with the socioeconomic sector with the most extreme cases leading to development of poverty and malnutrition. Public health responses are based on adaptation to new practices and mitigation of specific policies that change the way in which resources are used as well as how distribution takes place with the public health needs. For public health and mitigation responses for climate change with agronomics to work effectively, there is the need to continue becoming educated about the lack of sustainable practices and to begin altering the way in which the agronomic sector offers resources and options for the community and environment. References Burton, I, B Challenger, S Huq, RJT Klein, G Yohe. 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