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Global food prices reach 14-month high, FAO report says

In its latest report, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Wednesday said the agency's Food Price Index had been increasing for four consecutive months and reached a 14-month high in November, Reuters reports. FAO said the "index - which measures monthly price changes for a food basket composed of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar - averaged 168 points last month, the highest since September 2008.

10 Dec 2009

U.N. weather agency predicts heightened disease spread with rising temps; Globe and Mail examines potential health effects of climate change in Africa

The decade 2000-2009 "is very likely to be the warmest since record-keeping began in 1850, and 2009 could rank among the top-five warmest years," the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, the Associated Press reports.

10 Dec 2009

Opinions: ARV access; global health promotion; climate change; under-nutrition; Ethiopia

In an Intellectual Property Watch column, Daniele Dionisio, of the Italian Network for International Fight against AIDS, examines how trade rules and policy directions by governments and institutions may help to improve countries' access to antiretrovirals.

8 Dec 2009

EPA declares greenhouse gases a threat to public health; other health issues addressed at climate conference

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday "said greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare in a decision that could eventually lead to new emissions regulations," the Wall Street Journal reports (Ball/Forelle/Talley, 12/7). According to the Associated Press/ABC News, the declaration on the opening day of the U.N. Climate Change Conference "signaled the [Obama] administration was prepared to push ahead for significant controls in the U.S. if Congress doesn't act first on its own" (Herbert/Cappiello, 12/7).

8 Dec 2009

Climate change may affect mental health, but more research is needed

Among the many topics to be discussed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this month, one that is unlikely to feature is that of increasing concern about the effects on climate change on people with a history of mental health, and the potential for an increase in the overall burden of mental disorder worldwide.

8 Dec 2009

Snowe becomes less prominent in health debate, McCain more partisan

News outlets report on some of the key players in the health care debate, including Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, and Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif.

8 Dec 2009

Sustainable development: A critical factor against rising global population and climate change

Sustainability is the only way forward for industry that does not lead to an environmental dead-end. Waste recycling has its place, but researchers in France suggest that from the outset the design of a product should consider the whole life cycle to offer any chance of sustainability.

7 Dec 2009

European scientists discuss strategies to strengthen the role of EU in promoting global public health

Taken together, the EU's member states constitute the world's largest aid donor to the low and middle-income countries, and the largest trade zone. This puts the EU in a unique position to contribute to better global health. But first, its member states must decide on their goals and how they can work together to achieve them.

5 Dec 2009

Findings underscore the need for additional medical student education for healthcare reform

As the population of people with chronic conditions and health care costs rise, so do opportunities for implementing health prevention strategies. Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for public health at the University of Vermont (UVM) College of Medicine, believes a critical strategy for reforming the health care system lies in teaching medical students about prevention and public health.

5 Dec 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

Ahead of the U.N. Climate Change conference in Copenhagen next week, a Lancet comment examines the health consequences associated with climate change and the case for linking climate and health goals. "The issue now is not whether climate change is occurring, but how we can respond most effectively. ... Responding to climate change is not a distraction from the business of protecting health: it is part of the same agenda," the author writes (Chan, 12/5).

4 Dec 2009

Action on climate change will save lives, according to Canadian health professionals

Canada's prime minister must put the health of the world's citizens at the centre of discussions at the upcoming UN climate summit, according to Canadian health professionals. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced last week that he will join world leaders at the historic meeting in Copenhagen in December.

4 Dec 2009

Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss can increase the incidence of infectious diseases

The extinction of plant and animal species can be likened to emptying a museum of its collection, or dumping a cabinet full of potential medicines into the trash, or replacing every local cuisine with McDonald's burgers.

4 Dec 2009

Climate change can cause major impact on global mental health

Leading mental health researchers are warning that some of the most important health consequences of climate change will be on mental health, yet this issue is unlikely to be given much attention at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next week.

4 Dec 2009

South-South Cooperation conference kicks off in Kenya

The High Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation started Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya, with officials discussing prospects and challenges of the initiative, Xinhua reports (Ooko, 12/1).

2 Dec 2009

Studies find that tackling climate change can prevent deaths worldwide; doctors launch climate change, health group

A series of studies, published in a recent special issue of the journal Lancet, finds that policies aimed at addressing climate change could also improve the health of people worldwide, the Associated Press reports.

1 Dec 2009

WALFA project demonstrates alternative way to mitigate climate change

A landmark Australian project that mitigates the extent and severity of natural savannah blazes by deploying traditional Indigenous fire management techniques is being hailed as a model with vast global potential in the fights against climate change and biodiversity loss, and for protecting Indigenous lands and culture.

30 Nov 2009

Senior doctors unite together to address health effects of climate change

Senior doctors from across the globe have come together to form the International Climate and Health Council. Their aim is to mobilise health professionals across the world to help tackle the health effects of climate change.

26 Nov 2009

Strategies to reduce greenhouse gases benefit human health, show new studies

Today, new studies published in the Lancet show that strategies to reduce greenhouse gases also benefit human health. The Lancet series highlights case studies on four climate change topics - household energy, transportation, electricity generation, and agricultural food production.

26 Nov 2009

Major direct health benefits by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions

Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions will have major direct health benefits in addition to reducing the risk of climate change, especially in low-income countries, according to a series of six papers appearing today (Wed., Nov. 25) in the British journal The Lancet.

25 Nov 2009

Senate Democrats brace for heavy health reform work

The Hill reports that "Democratic leaders sent out a notice Monday morning alerting senators that when the chamber returns to session after the Thanksgiving holiday, 'roll call votes could occur at any time during the day and evening, with weekend sessions likely.'" The health bill is also likely to affect work on a climate change bill and some senators' plans to go to the climate summit in Copenhagen (Bolton, 11/23).

24 Nov 2009

Climate Change News and Research

Global food prices reach 14-month high, FAO report says

U.N. weather agency predicts heightened disease spread with rising temps; Globe and Mail examines potential health effects of climate change in Africa

Opinions: ARV access; global health promotion; climate change; under-nutrition; Ethiopia

EPA declares greenhouse gases a threat to public health; other health issues addressed at climate conference

Climate change may affect mental health, but more research is needed

Snowe becomes less prominent in health debate, McCain more partisan

Sustainable development: A critical factor against rising global population and climate change

European scientists discuss strategies to strengthen the role of EU in promoting global public health

Findings underscore the need for additional medical student education for healthcare reform

Recent releases in Global Health

Action on climate change will save lives, according to Canadian health professionals

Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss can increase the incidence of infectious diseases

Climate change can cause major impact on global mental health

South-South Cooperation conference kicks off in Kenya

Studies find that tackling climate change can prevent deaths worldwide; doctors launch climate change, health group

WALFA project demonstrates alternative way to mitigate climate change

Senior doctors unite together to address health effects of climate change

Strategies to reduce greenhouse gases benefit human health, show new studies

Major direct health benefits by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions

Senate Democrats brace for heavy health reform work

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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