4.3.
Collaboration with other programmes and networks
In addition to the ESSP, the World Health Organization (WHO) was represented at project planning meetings and expressed an interest in becoming involved. Other partners such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) may be approached as appropriate. There is also a great need to integrate this type of research into the ongoing and future research, being done by natural scientists, on changes in ecosystem structure and function. It became very clear during the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) that many of the “sub-global assessments” were impoverished by the lack of prior engagement of epidemiologists, environmental health scientists and social scientists in the research. Adaptation and vulnerability are concepts germane to all biological and human systems. In the context of Global Environmental Change, the ESSP joint project on GEC and Human Health can and should therefore build on work carried out by existing ESSP joint projects (GCP, GECAFS, and GWSP); IHDP core projects (GEC and Human Security; Urbanisation and Global Environmental Change) as well as the IGBP-IHDP Joint Project (Global Land Project and the Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone) and others, including the global change SyTem for Analysis, Research, and Training (START) and the Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Stugy (MAIRS). Collaborations with the other three ESSP joint projects This new ESSP joint project on GEC and Human Health would be linked to the already existing ESSP joint projects, the Global Carbon Project (GCP), the Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS), and the Global Water System Project (GWSP) via multiple pathways. The following examples show illustrative relationships between this new project and the existing three ESSP projects. Global Carbon Project (GCP) and Health •
Carbon dioxide increases weed and tree pollen production disproportionately over biomass growth (thereby possibly increasing the incidence of asthma and allergies).
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The life-cycle of fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas) entails multiple health and ecological impacts, including: o Exploration and extraction: fires, blowouts and accidents; river delta degradation (e.g., Nigeria); cadmium, arsenic, cyanide, PAHs and mercury contamination of fish. o Transport: leaks and spills affecting wildlife health, fisheries and livelihoods. o Refining: benzene release into air causes leucopenia. o Burning: contributes to air pollution (with respiratory and cardiovascular impacts); acid rain affecting water quality and food production, human and wildlife health, and ecosystem degradation (eutrophication of freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems (HABs) and climate change: multiple direct and indirect health impacts.
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