Climate Change and Substance-Use Behaviors: A Risk-Pathways Framework

Effect of wildfire on the prevalence of opioid misuse through anxiety among young adults in the United States: a modeling study

BACKGROUND

Exposure to climate change events like wildfires can lead to health and mental health problems. While conceptual frameworks have been hypothesized describing the potential relationship between disaster exposure and substance use, the association remains under-researched and unquantified.

METHODS

We constructed a quantitative portrayal of one proposed conceptual framework that focuses on the intermediary role of anxiety. We used the Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the impact of wildfire exposure on opioid misuse outcomes through increased anxiety. We searched for and extracted prior empirical evidence on the associations between wildfire anxiety and anxiety-opioid misuse. Three scenarios were devised: in S1 the impact of wildfire on opioid misuse was limited to increasing anxiety incidence; in S2 we also considered the additive role of altered anxiety phenotype; and in S3 we further considered the role of increased opioid-related consequences of pre-existing anxiety due to wildfire exposure.

RESULTS

Models show that the prevalence of opioid misuse post-wildfire may rise to 6.0%-7.2% from a baseline of 5.3%. In S1, the opioid misuse prevalence ratio was 1.12 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.00 - 1.27). The two exploratory scenarios, with less stringent assumptions, yielded prevalence ratios of 1.23 (95% UI: 1.00 - 1.51) and 1.34 (95% UI: 1.11 - 1.63).

CONCLUSIONS

Our modeling study suggests that exposure to wildfires may elevate opioid misuse through increasing anxiety incidence and severity. This can lead to substantial health burdens, possibly beyond the duration of the wildfire event, which may offset recent gains in opioid misuse prevention.

Exploring the Nexus of Climate Change and Substance Abuse: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

The increase in average air temperature and multiple extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and droughts, pose significant health risks to humans. This scoping review aims to examine the current state of the existing literature concerning the potential relationship between substance abuse and climate change, along with the aspects it encompasses.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The review followed PRISMA guidelines for methodological rigor, aiming to identify studies on drug abuse. Searches were conducted across the primary databases using specific search strings. Quality assessment involved evaluating the research question's clarity, search strategy transparency, consistency in applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and reliability of data extraction.

RESULTS

Most studies were conducted in the USA. They included observational and retrospective quantitative studies, as well as qualitative and prospective observational ones. Research examined the correlation between extreme weather and some substance abuse. All studies analyzed the adverse effects of climate change, especially heatwaves, on both physiological and pathological levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The scoping review notes the scarcity of studies about the correlation between substance abuse and climate change, and emphasizes the threats faced by individuals with substance abuse and mental health disorders due to climate change.

Effect of wildfire on the prevalence of opioid misuse through anxiety among young adults in the United States: A modeling study

Background

Exposure to climate change events like wildfires can lead to health and mental health problems. While conceptual frameworks have been hypothesized describing the potential relationship between disaster exposure and substance use, the association remains under-researched and unquantified.

Methods

We constructed a quantitative portrayal of one proposed conceptual framework that focuses on the intermediary role of anxiety. We used the Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the impact of wildfire exposure on opioid misuse outcomes through increased anxiety. We searched for and extracted prior empirical evidence on the associations between wildfire anxiety and anxiety-opioid misuse. A base case scenario (S1) was devised in which the impact of wildfire on opioid misuse was limited to increasing anxiety incidence. Two exploratory scenarios investigated the additive roles of altered anxiety phenotype (S2) and increased severity of pre-existing anxiety (S3) due to wildfire exposure.

Results

Models show that the prevalence of opioid misuse post-wildfire may rise to 6.0%-7.2%. In S1 (base case), the opioid misuse prevalence ratio was 1.12 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.00 - 1.27). The two exploratory scenarios, with less stringent assumptions, yielded prevalence ratios of 1.23 (95% UI: 1.00 - 1.51) and 1.34 (95% UI: 1.11 - 1.63).

Conclusions

Our modeling study suggests that exposure to wildfires may elevate opioid misuse through increasing anxiety incidence and severity. This may lead to substantial health burdens that may persist long after the initial wildfire event, which may offset recent gains in opioid misuse prevention.

Alcohol's contribution to climate change and other environmental degradation: a call for research

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The production, distribution and consumption of many fast-moving consumer goods contribute substantially to climate change, principally through releasing greenhouse gas emissions. Here we consider just some of the ways that alcohol-already a key contributor to an array of health, social and economic burdens-exacerbates environmental harms and climate change. We explore current evidence on alcohol production as a resource- and energy-intensive process, contributing to significant environmental degradation through water usage and other carbon emission costs. We argue that the impacts of alcohol production on climate change have been minimally explored by researchers. Yet the extent of the unfolding catastrophe beholds us to consider all available ways to mitigate unnecessary emissions, including from products such as alcohol. We then turn to suggestions for a research agenda on this topic, including investigations of commercial determinants, inequalities and product advice to help consumers choose lower-carbon options. We conclude by arguing that public health researchers already have an array of methodological expertise and experience that is well placed to produce the evidence needed to inform regulation and efforts by alcohol producers and consumers to minimize their contributions to environmental harms.