12. Climate Change and Health
The world’s climate is changing due to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. These changes are likely to pose significant challenges to the health and wellbeing of Australians. Extreme weather events such as storms, floods, heatwaves and fires, as well as longer-term changes such as drought and changes to the food and water supply, will all have serious long-term health implications for Australians.
Climate change is happening, and an appropriate health response is needed.
Because of climate change, more people will be at increased risk of various diseases and health conditions.
These include nutritional disorders from changes in food production, mental health problems from geographical dislocation, food and water borne diseases, increased vector borne diseases, possible chemical exposures, and fatalities and injuries from extreme weather events including heatwaves.
These health impacts will place increasing demand on the health system over time.
Australians of all ages need to be confident that they can continue to receive good quality timely access to their doctor, and other health and medical professionals. This will be especially important in emergency situations, where good communication and organisation in the health sector is paramount.
Failure on the part of Governments and the private sector to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions is likely to result in significant public health problems.
There needs to be greater awareness, at all levels of Government, of the direct and indirect impacts of policies, regulations and programs on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Governments and the broader community need to plan for increased demands on infrastructure from extreme events and emerging health conditions due to climate change.
The next Government must take the lead in developing and coordinating a National Strategy for Climate Change and Health so that Australia can respond effectively to the health impacts of climate change, extreme events, and to people’s medium- to long-term recovery needs.
A National Strategy for Climate Change and Health must incorporate:
- Strong communication links between hospital major medical centres, and emergency response agencies to maximise the efficient use of health resources in extreme weather events;
- Localised disaster management plans for specific geographical locations that model potential adverse health outcomes in those areas;
- Nationally coordinated surveillance measures to prevent exotic disease vectors from becoming established in Australia; and
- Development of effective interventions to address mental health issues arising from extreme events, including those involving mass casualties, and from longer-term changes, including drought.
* For a full pdf version of the Key Health Issues for the 2010 Federal Election click here
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Foreword – AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce
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Climate Change & Health
I praise the AMA for taking a stance on this issue, however feel that to talk purely about the health impacts of climate change without incorporating a specific call for quickly reducing Australia's emissions misses the point.
We do need to plan for the future, and how we will cope with the inceased demands climate change will place on our health infrastructure, but prevention is far better than cure and I would like to see the AMA advocating more for prevention - ie what the Government should be doing to reduce/mitigate climate change. The AMA would not have to go out on a limb, they could simply endorse the highest quality science on the issue (eg IPCC), however to not take a stance on emissions reduction levels means that all major parties could be in line with our position whilst doing very little to address the root problem.
I refer all readers to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIdebt9a_iI for a fantastic DVD by AMSA on this topic.
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If climate change get rough it will increase the risk of both floods and drought. In short, its the changes of climates. I found this site wwww.wordse.com that tells facts about climate change.
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