Malcolm Turnbull must address the health risks of climate change

 ‘Heatwaves have caused more deaths over the last
century in Australia than any other natural event.’ 

Last week, the Paris climate agreement officially entered into force, with the landmark global climate deal ushering in a new era of international climate diplomacy and sustainable development. This week, delegates from over 190 nations are convening in Morocco, seeking to build on the spirit of cooperation born in Paris, and working to convert the broad aspirational commitments into action.

While building on the architecture of the Paris agreement, national governments should keep the public health implications in mind.

Climate change is now recognised in the medical field as a clear and present danger to public health. The World Health Organisation’s director general has called it “one of the greatest health risks of the 21st century,” and the 2015 Lancet Commission concluded that climate change poses “an unacceptably high and potentially catastrophic risk to human health.”

Read Michael Marmot’s comment on The Guardian - “Malcolm Turnbull must address the health risks of climate change.”