May 15, 2021 22:00:00

Some areas may collapse due to 'too hot climate'

It is known that climate change not only destroys the natural environment but also has a great impact on human society,

and inundation of coastal cities and economic damage in tropical cities due to sea level rise are regarded as problems. A new study in the Northern Territory of northern Australia has revealed that climate change can cause a shortage of doctors in the summer when it gets too hot.

Is climate change exacerbating health-care workforce shortages for underserved populations? --The Lancet Planetary Health
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196 (21) 00028-0 / fulltext

Too hot, heading south: how climate change may drive one-third of doctors out of the NT
https://theconversation.com/too-hot-heading-south-how-climate-change-may-drive-one-third-of-doctors-out-of-the-nt-156959

In recent years, the Northern Territory's summer has become a record-breaking heat, and the average temperature in the Northern Territory from December 2019 to January 2020 was four degrees higher than usual. The heat wave is also causing real harm to community medicine, and it is reported that chronic water shortages and high temperatures make it difficult to secure a large amount of cold water for renal dialysis.

One of the hottest places in the Northern Territory is the town of Catherine, about 320 km southwest of Darwin. Katherine has long been known as a hot city, and in a 2004 (PDF file) report released by the Australian Federal Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (CISRO) , 'Climate change has caused the highest temperatures in the Katherine region by 2030. The number of days when the temperature exceeds 40 degrees will increase up to 35 days. '

However, in 2019, 54 days were recorded when the maximum temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, which is already much higher than CISRO's forecast. A report released by the Northern Territory's territorial government predicts that extremely hot climates are likely to continue and will be exposed to meteorological problems such as heavy rains, tropical cyclones, and rising sea levels.

In remote areas such as the Northern Territory, a shortage of health care workers has long been a problem. The closure of the only clinic in Catherine in 2020 has forced residents to travel more than 300km to Darwin to see their doctors, but climate change is remote. It may have a further impact on medical care.

To investigate the impact of climate change on Northern Territory health care, Australian National University public health researcher Simon Quilty and colleagues conducted a survey of 362 doctors in the Northern Territory.

As a result of the questionnaire, 85% of doctors answered that 'climate change may or has already adversely affected the health of patients', and 74% 'part of the Northern Territory due to climate change'. The area may become uninhabitable or is already uninhabitable. ' An additional 34% of doctors said they 'may or have already considered leaving the Northern Territory because of climate change,' and climate change exacerbates the shortage of doctors in the Northern Territory. It turns out that there is a risk of doing so.

Studies have shown that extreme heat poses a risk to the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, and in fact it is associated with increased illness and mortality. The hot climate can exacerbate heart, lung and kidney illness and mental illness.

For those who can't stand the heat of the Northern Territory, moving to a cooler place seems like a promising option. However, in reality, there are many people who cannot move due to work or financial problems, so the shortage of doctors in the Northern Territory poses a great risk to those who cannot move. In this survey, more than 60% of doctors said they would never leave the Northern Territory due to the heat wave, but the suggestion that nearly one-third of doctors could move is already a doctor. It is a threat to the Northern Territory community, where shortages are prominent.

Of course, climate change isn't the only story in the Northern Territory, so similar problems can occur in different parts of the world. Quilty and colleagues argue that it is necessary to incorporate climate change risk when considering recruitment of health care workers and to include a 'shortage of health care workers in specific areas' in the assessment of climate change risk. Did.