Reija Ruuhela

Characterising vulnerability of the elderly to climate change in the Nordic region

Elderly people are known to be more vulnerable than the general population to a range of weather-related hazards such as heat waves, icy conditions and cold periods. In the Nordic region, some of these hazards are projected to change their frequency and intensity in the future, while at the same time strong increases are projected in the proportion of elderly in the population. This paper reports results from three projects studying the potential impacts of climate change on elderly people in the Nordic region. An interactive web-based tool has been developed for mapping and combining indicators of climate change vulnerability of the elderly, by municipality, across three Nordic countries: Finland, Norway and Sweden. The tool can also be used for projecting temperature-related mortality in Finland under different projections of future climate. The approach to vulnerability mapping differs from most previous studies in which researchers selected the indicators to combine into an index. Here, while researchers compile data on indicators that can be accessed in the mapping tool, the onus is on the users of the tool to decide which indicators are of interest and whether to map them individually or as combined indices. Stakeholders with responsibility for the care and welfare of the elderly were engaged in the study through interviews and a workshop. They affirmed the usefulness of the prototype mapping tool for raising awareness about climate change as a potential risk factor for the elderly and offered suggestions on potential refinements, which have now been implemented. These included adding background information on possible adaptation measures for ameliorating the impacts of extreme temperatures, and improved representation of uncertainties in projections of future exposure and adaptive capacity.

Population-based research on the relationship between summer weather and paediatric forearm shaft fractures

BACKGROUND Paediatric forearm shaft fractures show an increasing incidence. The predictive factors of these fractures are not fully understood. Summer weather is suggested to have an effect on the risk of childrens fractures. We studied the effect of rainfall, temperature and wind on paediatric forearm shaft fractures in summer. METHODS All 148 childrens forearm shaft fractures in the geographic catchment district during the summer months in 1997-2009 were included. There were 1989 days in the study period. Daily meteorological readings captured the maximum daytime temperature, precipitation and wind speed. The direct daily association between fractures (yes/no) and different weather conditions was analysed in this population-based study. RESULTS The risk of forearm shaft fracture was 50% higher on dry days compared to rainy days (P=0.038). Temperature and wind speed had no statistically significant effect on fractures. CONCLUSIONS The results give support for the presumption by the general public and professionals that summer weather affects childrens fractures. A 1.5-fold increase in the risk is especially significant as the forearm shaft fractures are challenging to manage and prone to complications. Paediatric trauma units should prepare themselves for these severe injuries on dry summer days.

Analysis of the meteorological capacity for early warnings in Malawi and Zambia

Developing countries are highly vulnerable to extreme weather and climate events. This vulnerability is perpetuated and compounded by the lack of efficient early warning services, a consequence of gaps in the meteorological infrastructure and the chronic shortage of trained experts. Climate change is foreseen to increase these challenges as many extreme weather and climate events are predicted to become more frequent and intense during the next decades. This paper analyses the constraints and gaps that the National Meteorological Services (NMSs) are facing in the two Southern African countries of Malawi and Zambia. Funding needed to upgrade the meteorological observing station networks, forecast production systems and human resource capacities to a level where these NMSs would be able to provide basic services is estimated to be less than US

Climate impact on suicide rates in Finland from 1971 to 2003

10 million per country. These investments have the potential to bring large benefits to whole society.