title: Peak oil and health in low- and middle-income countries: impacts and potential responses.
abstract: Peak oil refers to the predicted peak and subsequent decline in global production of petroleum products over the coming decades. We describe how peak oil will affect health, nutrition, and health systems in low- and middle-income countries along 5 pathways. The negative effects of peak oil on health and nutrition will be felt most acutely in the 58 low-income countries experiencing minimal or negative economic growth because of their patterns of sociopolitical, geographic, and economic vulnerability. The global health community needs to take additional steps to build resilience among the residents of low- and middle-income countries and maintain access to maternal and other health services in the face of predicted changes in availability and price of fossil fuels.
authors.affiliation: Social and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA. pwinch@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Winch
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stepnitz
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003906:Developing Countries; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004467:Economics; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D014943:Global Health; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010578:Petroleum / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011634:Public Health; D014186:Transportation; D014857:Warfare
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum