People continuing to work, exercise and move around outdoors without appropriate protection during 'hazardous' levels of air pollution from bushfire smoke exposes the need for governments to do more to protect people's health, the Climate and Health Alliance has said today.

As bushfires continue, the exposure of communities to smoke has become unprecedented. This evidence-based factsheet developed by the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health research outlines what the health impacts are to bushfire smoke, which groups are most vulnerable, what we can do to minimise exposure and why climate change is needed now.

With communities across Australia continuing to reel from ongoing catastrophic bushfires and deadly heatwaves, the Climate and Health Alliance today has called on the Federal and State governments to work together to act on climate change in order to help protect people’s health.

28 health and medical groups have released a joint statement calling on the Federal and NSW governments to respond to the public health emergency in NSW created by the ongoing air pollution from bushfire smoke.