Climate Change and Health

Climate commission report highlights the need for a national strategy for health and climate change

kwaterford — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:49:58 +1100

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the Climate Commission report, The Critical Decade: Climate change and health, adds further weight to the AMA’s call for a National Strategy for Health and Climate Change.

Dr Hambleton said that the AMA shares the view of the Climate Commission that climate change poses a real and imminent threat to the health of Australians.

Time to warn patients about ‘thunderstorm asthma’

kwaterford — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:46:40 +1100

MJA release - Doctors are calling for extra warnings about the increased risk of asthma episodes when thunderstorms erupt in spring and summer after there has been a lot of pollen around, as evident in recent epidemics of ’thunderstorm asthma’ in Melbourne.

Carbon pricing is a health protection policy

kwaterford — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +1000

MJA release - Carbon pricing is an important health protection policy that is vital for the public good, according to an editorial published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia (MJA).

Coordinated response needed to manage the health threats of climate change

kwaterford — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:14:47 +1000

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that Australia needs a National Strategy for Climate Change and Health to respond effectively to the health impacts of climate change.

The 2009 State of the Climate report, released today by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, confirmed that the past decade was the warmest on record and that the Earth has been growing warmer in the past 50 years.

Call to doctors to take the lead on climate change

gkurukchi — Sun, 02 May 2010 12:00:00 +1000

MJA Media Release - Doctors should take the lead in practical steps to reduce the carbon footprints associated with obesity, chronic disease and population growth, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Prof Robyn McDermott, Professor of Public Health at the University of South Australia, writes that ageing, obesity and associated conditions account for the greatest proportion of disability and accelerating health care use, and that the health sector itself has a significant and expanding carbon footprint.

“When we add the increasing costs of health care and the health industry’s carbon footprint to the entirely preventable loss of years of life and wellness caused by physical inactivity, we have a compelling case for specific action led by doctors in four health-related domains,” Prof McDermott said.

Transcript: AMA President, Climate Change and Health, COAG

smorrison — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:46:19 +1100

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce
Parliament House, Canberra, Wednesday 9 December 2009

The evidence is in - climate change is a serious threat to human health

pjean — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:11:30 +1100

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, today urged the Australian delegation to the Copenhagen climate talks to convince world leaders to implement plans to deal with the serious threats that climate change poses to human health globally.

Dr Pesce said that the AMA position is that failure to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions on a global basis is likely to result in significant public health concerns.

The health effects of climate change include increased heat related illness and deaths, increased food and water borne diseases, and changing patterns of diseases. In addition to their impact on health infrastructure and services, extreme events such as droughts, flooding and storms could be responsible for death and disease.

“It is the AMA’s view that climate change is a significant worldwide threat to human health that requires urgent action,” Dr Pesce said.

“We recognise that human activity has contributed to climate change.

Media Alert - Doorstop

smorrison — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:41:32 +1100

AMA Statement on Climate Change

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, will be available to discuss climate change and health and the AMA’s expectations of the Copenhagen climate talks at 11.00am today, Wednesday 9 December 2009, in the Senate Courtyard, Parliament House, Canberra

Climate change health research welcomed

smorrison — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:50:33 +1100

The Australian Medical Association has welcomed research commissioned by the Federal Government into the health impacts of climate change, saying the results should help inform a National Strategy for Health and Climate Change.

AMA Vice President, Dr Gary Speck, said present and future health impacts demand a strategic approach from governments, particularly in the development of health infrastructure at all levels.

Climate Change and Human Health - 2004. Revised 2008.

smorrison — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:12:04 +1100

Human health is ultimately dependent on the health of the planet and its ecosystem. The AMA believes that measures which mitigate climate change will also benefit public health. Reducing greenhouse gases should therefore be seen as a public health priority. At the same time, health systems need to be responsive to a range of health effects associated with both short-term and longer-term impacts on climate change.