Ecosystems and Human Health A Critical Approach to Ecohealth Resear
Ecosystems and Human Health A Critical Approach to Ecohealth Research and Practice Crescentia Dakubo The magnitude of current epidemics, environmental disasters, and extreme weather events is proving that human health problems require more comprehensive s
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Crescentia Y. Dakubo
Ecosystems and Human Health A Critical Approach to Ecohealth Research and Practice
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Crescentia Y. Dakubo, Ph.D Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-0205-4 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-0206-1 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0206-1 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2010937571 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report observes that about sixty per cent of the world’s ecosystem services are being degraded or used unsustainably. The report observes that over the past half a century, human activities have transformed natural ecosystems at a pace faster and extensive than in any comparable time in human history. This pace of ecosystem degradation has grave consequences for human health, including the emergence of new diseases. Since the 1970s, new diseases have been emerging at an unprecedented rate of one or more per year, with the World Health Organization confirming over 1100 epidemic events worldwide, within the past few years alone. It is anticipated that over the next few decades ecological factors will continue to play a key role in the emergence of new diseases and augment the impacts of older ones. Since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, there have been increasing efforts aimed at drawing attention to the intricate interconnections and interdependencies between environment, health, and sustainable development, culminating with the recent climate change summit in Copenhagen. While these connections are being acknowledged in global and regional policy documents, their translation to influence and respond to public health and environmental problems at the lower scale still remains a challenge. For example, the health impacts of environmental degradation are experienced at the local or community level, with many public health settings struggling to contain these effects and the widespread of newer diseases. Similarly, researchers are exploring effective analytical frameworks that will provide a comprehensive understanding of the interconnections between the social, political, and natural dimensions of the environment. These challenges and the growing emph
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