14.2.3 Health Impacts of Adaptation Technologies

The application of technologies to adapt to climate change should have net health benefits. Table 14.2 lists some of the health implications of adaptation technologies. For example, measures applied to control climate-sensitive invasive species (e.g., agricultural pests) may cause new human health problems. The occurrence of secondary health impacts is well illustrated by water development projects that have had significant effects on the local transmission of parasitic diseases, including malaria, lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis (Hunter et al., 1993). For example, improved water supply in some rural areas of India has resulted in an increase in Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding sites and, consequently, may have contributed to outbreaks of dengue. More often, however, reliable piped water systems result in reduced Ae. aegypti densities and lower risk of epidemics (Gubler, 1994). Large-scale irrigation schemes for cultivating crops can increase malaria transmission, as illustrated by a malaria epidemic in Burundi, which was linked to the expansion of local rice fields (Marimbu et al., 1993). The impacts of water management projects can be minimised by appropriate design measures such as flushing or varying water levels to kill snails and mosquito larvae.

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