Climate change: from diagnosis to cure
Climate change is impacting our health right now, here in the UK and across the world
Diagnosis
In 2009, the Lancet medical journal called climate change “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”. Dr Margaret Chan, WHO’s former Director General, has also described climate change as the defining health challenge of our time.
Across the world, we are witnessing an unfolding public health emergency.
This is because climate change impacts health both directly and indirectly. In the case of the former, increasing frequency of storms and floods, heatwaves, and the spread of disease vectors like ticks and mosquitoes, are already causing significant ill health.
Floods and storms cause injuries, deaths, and mental health illnesses. They can also damage health facilities and infrastructure, putting health systems under intense pressure. In 2015, during Storm Desmond, the NHS in Lancashire declared a ‘major incident’ after flooding caused power cuts and stopped doctors and nurses reaching hospitals.
Moreover, burning fossil fuels is not only the main source of greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, but it is also a major cause of air pollution, which is linked to approximately 40,000 premature deaths in the UK.
Climate change also impacts health indirectly by undermining the foundations of health in the UK and worldwide — access to safe drinking water, food, air, and shelter. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, climate change has contributed to the rise of global food insecurity. Droughts diminish livestock, crop productivity, and in severe cases, can trigger large scale human displacement. In the UK, during the major floods of 2007, 140,000 people in Gloucestershire were without water for 17 days, and 14,500 households had to leave their homes and move to temporary accommodation.
Climate change is impacting our health right now, here in the UK and across the world, as exemplified by the unacceptable amount of deaths linked to air pollution. This is likely to get worse, partly because of the lag in historical emissions leading to climate change, but also because the current level of ambition across the world is inadequate to avoid damaging temperature rises. Therefore, a lack of action on climate change threatens to undo the past 50 years of gains in public health.
Towards a cure
If our planet is sick, how do we cure it? Over the last few decades, the cure — in the form of emissions reductions and other climate mitigation — has seen many countries reduce their emissions, increasing the chance that we could avoid dangerous temperature rises. More action is needed and many of the narratives seeking to drive greater action are couched in economic terms.
But there are also enormous health benefits to action on climate change. This goes beyond limiting the health impacts caused by climate change itself — many of the drivers of climate change also cause ill health. In fact, considering the health co-benefits of climate action, the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change concluded that “responding to climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century”.
Simple measures to tackle climate change, like walking or cycling instead of driving, will improve public health, reduce levels of obesity and the financial burden on the NHS.
Another urgent priority is the phase-out of coal, which is a major contributor to air pollution as well as being responsible for 44% of global CO2 emissions. In the UK, pollution from coal power plants kills an estimated 1,600 people and costs up to £3.1 billion per year in added health costs through conditions like lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. The UK Government’s commitment to phase-out the use of coal by 2025 is an important step forward.
We need to acknowledge that climate change is a health issue to both protect health now and to ensure a healthier future for generations to come.
The role of the health profession
This reality has led more and more health professionals to speak out and act to drive greater progress on making our economies and societies cleaner and more sustainable. In doing so, many have been driven by their duty to protect and promote health. They are also excellent advocates for their patients and remain professionals upon whom people can rely. A survey by the social research institute Ipsos MORI found that nurses and doctors are highly trusted, leaving politicians (and footballers) far behind. All of this means that health professionals are increasingly playing a key role in the fight to limit dangerous climate change.
Because of this, the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change was formed in 2016 to lead the UK health professions’ response to climate change. We bring together Royal Colleges, faculties, societies, the BMA, the Lancet, and the BMJ, to advocate for better responses to climate change that protect and promote public health.
We are living in an interconnected and interdependent world at a time of unprecedented change. We all have a role to play in curing our sick planet and ensuring a healthier and more prosperous life for future generations.
Visit our website to learn more about our work, sign up to our newsletter, and get involved.
Laurie Laybourn-Langton, Director, UK Health Alliance on Climate Change
