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Lateral Public Health: A Comprehensive Approach to Adaptation in Urban Environments

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Climate Change Adaptation in Developed Nations

Part of the book series: Advances in Global Change Research ((AGLO,volume 42))

Abstract

The unpredictable nature of climate change poses considerable challenges to public health because it acts as a multiplier on existing exposure pathways and thus exacerbates existing vulnerabilities. Urban settings are particularly susceptible to the impacts of extreme weather events due to high population densities with shared exposure pathways. Moreover, metropolitan areas tend to be at increased risk from heat waves because urban climates are often warmer than un-built surroundings. Three aspects of urban adaptation to climate change are addressed here: (1) social interventions that advance bonding, bridging, and linking social capital in order to enhance community capacity and resilience; (2) interventions that attenuate the negative consequences of climatic events by physically improving the built environment; and (3) social services interventions that integrate multiple sectors through emergency plans for risk reduction of vulnerable populations.

These adaptation strategies in urban environments illustrate the concept of lateral public health based on transdisciplinary cooperation and community-based participation. In order to mount an effective response, public health practitioners need to transcend the traditional disciplinary boundaries and embrace lateral public health. This framework farms out public health action to other sectors of society, as well as community members of at-risk populations, in order to promote sustainable adaptation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Head of Future Threats and Determinants Section, Scientific Advice Unit, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Tomtebodavägen 11A, Stockholm, S-171 83, Sweden

    Jan C. Semenza

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  1. Jan C. Semenza
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Correspondence to Jan C. Semenza .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Geography, McGill University, Sherbrooke Street West 805, Montreal, H3A 2R6, Québec, Canada

    James D. Ford

  2. , Department of Geography, McGill University, Sherbrooke Street West 805, Montreal, H3A 2R6, Québec, Canada

    Lea Berrang-Ford

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Semenza, J.C. (2011). Lateral Public Health: A Comprehensive Approach to Adaptation in Urban Environments. In: Ford, J., Berrang-Ford, L. (eds) Climate Change Adaptation in Developed Nations. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 42. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0567-8_10

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