Weather and Climate Information for Tourism

The tourism sector is one of the largest and fastest growing global industries and is a significant contributor to national and local economies around the world. The interface between climate and tourism is multifaceted and complex, as climate represents both a vital resource to be exploited and an important limiting factor that poses risks to be managed by the tourism industry and tourists alike. All tourism destinations and operators are climate-sensitive to a degree and climate is a key influence on travel planning and the travel experience. This chapter provides a synopsis of the capacities and needs for climate services in the tourism sector, including current and emerging applications of climate services by diverse tourism end-users, and a discussion of key knowledge gaps, research and capacity-building needs and partnerships that are required to accelerate the application of climate information to manage risks to climate variability and facilitate successful adaptation to climate change

Air Pollution and Suicide in 10 Cities in Northeast Asia: A Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Analysis

Background: There is growing evidence suggesting an association between air pollution and suicide. However, previous findings varied depending on the type of air pollutant and study location. Objectives: We examined the association between air pollutants and suicide in 10 large cities in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Methods: We used a two-stage meta-analysis. First, we conducted a time-stratified case-crossover analysis to estimate the short-term association between nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter [aerodynamic diameter ?10 μm (PM10), aerodynamic diameter ?2.5 μm (PM2.5), and PM10?2.5] and suicide, adjusted for weather factors, day-of-week, long-term time trends, and season. Then, we conducted a meta-analysis to combine the city-specific effect estimates for NO2, SO2, and PM10 across 10 cities and for PM2.5 and PM10?2.5 across 3 cities. We first fitted single-pollutant models, followed by two-pollutant models to examine the robustness of the associations. Results: Higher risk of suicide was associated with higher levels of NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM10?2.5 over multiple days. The combined relative risks (RRs) were 1.019 for NO2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.999, 1.039), 1.020 for SO2 (95% CI: 1.005, 1.036), 1.016 for PM10 (95% CI: 1.004, 1.029), and 1.019 for PM10?2.5 (95% CI: 1.005, 1.033) per interquartile range (IQR) increase in the 0?1 d average level of each pollutant. We found no evidence of an association for PM2.5. Some of the associations, particularly for SO2 and NO2, were attenuated after adjusting for a second pollutant. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher levels of air pollution may be associated with suicide, and further research is merited to understand the underlying mechanisms