2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

338491
Climate change and collective violence


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 1:42 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Barry Levy, MD, MPH, Tufts Univ. School of Medicine, Sherborn, MA

Victor Sidel, MD, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Climate change can cause or contribute to many developments that threaten societal stability and could lead to collective violence, including: extremes of rainfall, causing droughts or floods, which can lead to shortages of food and/or freshwater; sea level rise; infectious diseases; extreme weather events, such as tornadoes; and mental health problems. There is an increasing body of evidence, from both historical studies and modern-era research, that climate change increases the risk of collective violence. In addition, climate change will lead to many environmental refugees, whose security may be threatened. Public health workers can help society to adapt to climate change and help to implement measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, which are the major cause of climate change, thereby decreasing the risk of collective violence.

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe the effects of climate change that can lead to collective violence. Describe the ways in which public health workers can help to adapt to climate change and implement measures to mitigate it, thereby decreasing the risk of collective violence.

Keyword(s): Climate and Health, Violence & Injury Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have co-edited a book on climate change and have co-authored a book chapter and a published paper on the subject of climate change and collective violence. I have co-edited four books on the relationship between war and terrorism and public health. I have worked in the field of occupational and environmental health for 38 years. I have extensive experience both in environmental health and in the causes of armed conflict.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4250.0: Impact of war and conflict on women, children, veterans and communities