Inaction on climate change is costing lives

As we head into another scorching summer, many health professionals anxiously anticipate a surge in heat-related and respiratory illnesses, driven by our warming climate. As temperatures rise, so too does the amount of ground level ozone in our cities and neighbourhoods. The biggest risk this poses for us is the irritation to our airways, making it harder for many people to breathe easily. 

It’s not just a problem for children and the elderly – even healthy young people can experience respiratory difficulties from ground level ozone. But the most threatening components of air pollution are those we cannot see. Tiny dirty particles – measuring about 1/30 of a human hair in diameter – can pass into our bloodstream via our lungs, where they risk causing heart attacks and strokes in otherwise healthy people.

While our politicians continue to delay effective action on climate change, people’s health and well-being is being put at risk. Lives are being lost. 

Read The Border Mail story by Fiona Armstrong - “Inaction on climate change is costing lives.”

Medical staff in dark about policies to mitigate health risks of climate change, study says

Australian health professionals overwhelmingly say they don’t know of any policies that deal with the health implications of climate change, despite the World Health Organisation saying “climate change is the climate change to global health in the 21st century”.

The results come from the first national snapshot of the knowledge and views of doctors, nurses, health academics and other health professionals on the topic of climate and health.

They were collected by the Climate and Health Alliance, as the group prepares to present its national strategy on climate, health and wellbeing discussion paper to politicians in Canberra this month.

Liz Hanna, the president of the Climate and Health Alliance, said the strategy was supported by groups representing most of the health industry and represented the most important move in the climate and health space in Australia to date.

Read The Guardian story - “Medical staff in dark about policies to mitigate health risks of climate change, study says.”