This book compares how governments in 192 countries perceive climate change related health risks and which measures they undertake to protect their populations.
Building on case studies from the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka, The Politics of the Climate Change-Health Nexus demonstrates the strong influence of epistemic communities and international organisations on decision making in the field of climate change and health. Jungmann shows that due to the complexity and uncertainty of climate change related health risks, governments depend on the expertise of universities, think tanks, international organisations and researchers within the public sector to understand, strategize and implement effective health adaptation measures. Due to their general openness towards new ideas and academic freedom, the book shows that more democratic states tend to demonstrate a higher recognition of the need to protect their populations. However, the level of success largely depends on the strength of their epistemic communities and the involvement of international organisations.
This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change and public health. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers from around the world to learn from best practices and thus improve the health adaptation work in their own countries.
Part 1: Introduction
1. Between Crisis and Long-term Challenge
2. Politics and the Nexus between Climate Change and Health
3. The Explanatory Model
Part 2: The Global Perspective
4. Research Design
5. The CHAIn Index
6. Regression Results
Part 3: The National Perspective
7. Qualitative Research Design and Case Selection
8. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
9. The Republic of Ireland
10. The Republic of Korea
11. Japan
12. Sri Lanka
13. General Findings
Part 4: Conclusion
14. Main Findings
15. From the Climate Crisis to the Health Crisis and Vice Versa: A COVID19 Update
16. Insights for Policymakers
Biography
Maximilian Jungmann is the co-founder and CEO of Momentum Novum, a sustainability agency in Heidelberg (Germany) and Quito (Ecuador), and is a researcher at Heidelberg University. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Heidelberg University and does research on the politics of climate change and sustainable development.
"This is a thorough investigation of the serious challenges the world faces from health impacts of climate change. Jungmann examines progress made on climate adaptation in different countries, with the benefit of consultation with experts within different levels of government and academia. Individual health risks will vary by country, but global action to adapt to climate change can be greatly facilitated by understanding and building on the variety of knowledge and experience outlined in this type of research." -- Clare Heaviside, Associate Professor, UCL, United Kingdom
"This is a ground-breaking text which examines, for the first time, the interaction between climate change and health adaptation for 192 countries. It examines in detail the drivers that influence the climate change-health adaptation nexus and provides insight into how best society can position itself to cope with the climate emergency." -- John Sweeney, Emeritus Professor, Irish Climate Analysis and Research UnitS (ICARUS), Maynooth University, Ireland
"Climate change already has severe effects on the health of millions of people and its impact will drastically increase in the future. In this timely book, Maximilian Jungmann provides the first global overview of how states perceive health risks associated with climate change and what influences their actions to respond to such risks. His book helps policymakers, businesses, and citizens alike to better understand and prepare for complex, interconnected problems like the climate change and health nexus." -- Bernd Welz, CEO, Klimastiftung für Bürger, Germany
"There is no comparable monograph investigating how states compare in their health adaptation initiatives and which factors influence their perception and respective policies tackling health risks related to climate change. Max Jungmann’s work offers an indispensable and comprehensive analysis, using both advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to make sense of the politics of the ‘Climate Change-Health Nexus’ for scientists, policy makers and the interested public." -- Sebastian Harnisch, Professor for International Relations and Foreign Policy, Heidelberg University, Germany
"This book contributes immensely to the understanding of differential integration of climate change into national public health agendas from a global perspective. Maximilian Jungmann has established the Climate Change and Health Adaptation Index (CHAIn), which may become the tool to evaluate the level of climate resilience of national health systems – a major step towards climate change adaptation for better human health." -- Ina Danquah, Robert Bosch Junior Professor for Sustainable Nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, Heidelberg University, Germany
