Genee S Smith1,2, E Anjum3, C Francis4, L Deanes5, C Acey3. 1. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Room W-7513D, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. genee.smith@jhu.edu. 2. Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. genee.smith@jhu.edu. 3. University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. 4. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Baltimore, MD, USA. 5. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Room W-7513D, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review and analyze recent literature in public health, urban planning, and disaster management to better understand the relationships between climate change, natural disasters, and root causes of health disparities in the USA. RECENT FINDINGS: Existing scholarship establishes clear linkages between climate change and increasing occurrences and severity of natural disasters across the USA. The frequency and types of disasters vary by region and impact both short and long-term health outcomes. Current research highlights health inequities affecting lower income and minoritized communities disproportionately, but data-driven studies critically examining the role of structural inequalities in climate-induced health disparities are sparse. Adding to the body of knowledge, our conceptual framework maps how long-standing structural inequalities in policy, practice, and funding shape vulnerability of lower-income, racially and ethnically marginalized individuals. Vulnerability follows three common pathways: disparities in "exposure", "sensitivity", and "resiliency" before, during, and after a climate disaster. We recommend that future research, policy, and practice shift towards solutions that unearth and address the structural biases that cause environmental disaster and health inequities.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review and analyze recent literature in public health, urban planning, and disaster management to better understand the relationships between climate change, natural disasters, and root causes of health disparities in the USA. RECENT FINDINGS: Existing scholarship establishes clear linkages between climate change and increasing occurrences and severity of natural disasters across the USA. The frequency and types of disasters vary by region and impact both short and long-term health outcomes. Current research highlights health inequities affecting lower income and minoritized communities disproportionately, but data-driven studies critically examining the role of structural inequalities in climate-induced health disparities are sparse. Adding to the body of knowledge, our conceptual framework maps how long-standing structural inequalities in policy, practice, and funding shape vulnerability of lower-income, racially and ethnically marginalized individuals. Vulnerability follows three common pathways: disparities in "exposure", "sensitivity", and "resiliency" before, during, and after a climate disaster. We recommend that future research, policy, and practice shift towards solutions that unearth and address the structural biases that cause environmental disaster and health inequities.
Authors: B L Turner; Roger E Kasperson; Pamela A Matson; James J McCarthy; Robert W Corell; Lindsey Christensen; Noelle Eckley; Jeanne X Kasperson; Amy Luers; Marybeth L Martello; Colin Polsky; Alexander Pulsipher; Andrew Schiller Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2003-06-05 Impact factor: 12.779
Authors: Lawrence A Palinkas; Michael S Hurlburt; Cecilia Fernandez; Jessenia De Leon; Kexin Yu; Erika Salinas; Erika Garcia; Jill Johnston; Md Mostafijur Rahman; Sam J Silva; Rob S McConnell Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-04 Impact factor: 4.614