Climate change is a Public Health Issue

 

The actions that are good for the planet are good for health.

  • Climate change is already impacting on the health of our communities.
  • The effects of climate change are disproportionately impacting on our most disadvantaged communities, widening inequalities.
  • Prevention is cheaper and better for the planet than the treatment of ill health. Delivering care comes at a financial cost as well as an environmental cost.
  • Climate specific policies and climate in all policies can help us to achieve major health and wellbeing co-benefits, strengthening the case for action on climate change.
  • The health benefits of climate policies resonate strongly with the public and policy makers due to the direct nature of some of the health effects, with benefits evident over shorter timescales, strengthening the case for action on climate change.

 

Useful links:

 

The 2023 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative for a health-centred response in a world facing irreversible harms - The Lancet

Reframing climate change as a public health issue: an exploratory study of public reactions | BMC Public Health | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)

11 things to know about the Health Effects of Climate Change report – UK Health Security Agency (blog.gov.uk)

Tackling the public health effects of climate change – find out how you and your team can take action - Public Health Network Cymru

Health and climate change: complex problems with co-benefits - The Health Foundation

the-impacts-of-climate-change-on-public-health.pdf (rcpsych.ac.uk)

How does climate change impact health? - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment (lse.ac.uk)

 


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