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Archive for Environment

Electronic networking does work!

by CAHA
May 28th, 2015

A report from the ‘Environmentally sustainable practice in hospitals and community settings’ seminar 15 May 2015

Janet Roden, Professional Officer in the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWN&MA), and Peter Sainsbury, Director of Population Health in South Western Sydney Local Health District, met in 2014 on a Global Green and Healthy Hospitals webinar organised by CAHA Convenor Fiona Armstrong.

Out of that meeting the two of them organised an ‘Environmental Health Seminar’ attended by 50 health professionals at Liverpool Hospital on 15 May 2015 – a first in NSW for collaboration between a local health district and the NSWN&MA on environmental sustainability.

The focus of the seminar was on environmentally sustainable practices in hospital and community settings and the 50 health professionals present heard a tremendous array of knowledgeable speakers, all of who have runs on the board promoting environmental sustainability in their own workplaces.

Debbie Wilson, Sustainability Officer with the Counties Manukau District Health Board in New Zealand, focused in her keynote speech on outlining the activities of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network and the environmental initiatives they have introduced in Manukau. In the afternoon, Debbie talked about the identification and management of toxic chemicals in health services.

Other speakers included Chris Hill talking about the initiatives taken to promote environmental sustainability at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane; Terrona Ramsay and Aileen Thomas describing the very innovative approaches adopted to make the small regional health service at Kooweerup in Victoria greener; Michelle Skrivanic and Alison Brannelly talking about the initiatives nurses can take in large hospitals, for instance reducing and separating waste in operating theatres; and Matt Power from St Vincent’s Health Australia describing how health services can improve energy efficiency. And somewhere amongst all that we found time for lots discussion with the audience, much of it focussing on the practicalities of (and problems associated with) encouraging health services to become more environmentally sustainable.

All in all, a very practical and enjoyable day … and all because of professional speed dating.

Click on the links below for podcast recordings of the presentations:

  • Debbie Wilson (GGHH)
  • Chris Hill
  • Michelle Skrivanic & Alison Brannelly
  • Debbie Wilson (Safety and Quality)
  • Matt Power
  • Terrona Ramsey & Aileen Thoms
Categories Behaviour change, Climate, Environment, Health, Health professionals, healthcare, Hospitals, Medical, Nursing, Sustainability, sustainability
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Webinar: Global Green and Healthy Hospitals

by CAHA
August 24th, 2014

CAHA’s recent Webinar provided participants with an introduction to the rapidly growing initiative that is the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) network.

Some of the topics GGHH Global Community Manager Nick Thorp discussed included:

  • Opportunities to improve sustainability in healthcare
  • Introduction to GGHH
  • What GGHH can offer for your hospital or health organisation
  • A global communications platform: GGHH Connect
  • How to join GGHH

Slides from the Webinar are available here.

For more information about GGHH in Australia or New Zealand, contact [email protected]

Categories Health, healthcare, Sustainability, sustainability
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Health sector urged to engage with social media to promote climate action

by CAHA
April 1st, 2014

What does the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report mean for health in Australia?

This post first appeared on the blog Croakey on 31 March 2014

A new report from the IPCC issues the world one of its most stark warnings on climate change to date. Leaked drafts suggest this report will be one of the IPCC’s most stark warnings yet issued on climate change, especially as it relates to human health.

Authors of the health chapter say the report chronicles serious impacts to human health and wellbeing already from climate change, and warn of our limited ability to adapt to rapidly increasing global temperatures.

What is the IPCC and what does it report on?

The IPCC is a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) – 195 countries are members of the IPCC.

Every four years, the IPCC releases a series of assessment reports on the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change.  Four Assessment Reports (AR1, AR2, AR3 and AR4) and part 1 of the Fifth Report (WGI or AR5) have been released to date. The AR5 WGI report covered the physical science and was released in September 2013.

The second part (WGII) of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) will be released this week. This IPCC Second Working Group report (WGII) covers the evidence on the impacts of climate change on humans and other species, the vulnerability of human society and other species and ecosystems to climate change, and on the adaptation measures underway or needed to minimise adverse impacts.

The third working group report on mitigation (WGIII) will be released in Berlin in April 2014.

This second report from Working Group II is an important one for health.

What does the IPCC WGII report say about health?

The findings of note from WGII include that climate change is affecting everyone in every nation on every continent, right now. Australia is particularly vulnerable to impacts on food production.  The report highlights that people everywhere are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, especially extreme weather events which are now more frequent and more severe.

Despite long standing warning on the need for mitigation (curbing emissions) and adaptation (responding to minimise the impacts of climate change), levels of adaptation to global warming around the world remain low. Some efforts by defence organisations, the tourism industry and insurance companies lead the way, but much more must be done. Failing to do so will put health further at risk, as it means we are not acting to avoid some potentially preventable impacts, like coastal flooding, heat stress from heatwaves, and the spread of disease.

The report shows that failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to levels of warming that will make some parts of the world uninhabitable. However reducing emissions can cut the economic damage from climate change considerably. Further, the report shows that reducing emissions will bring many immediate and localised benefits to human health – the savings from which would substantially offset the costs of reducing emissions.

Health professionals are urged to act to raise awareness about the health risks from climate change and the health benefits of cutting emissions. Unless these issues are more widely understood, we risk failing to take actions that may ultimately determine whether or not we survive as a species, this profound, manmade, global threat to health.

What can you do?

You can help promote the issues raised in the IPCC report this week by joining a social media Thunderclap on climate and health. Follow the Climate and Health Alliance (Australia) on Twitter @healthy_climate) and our international group the Global Climate and Health Alliance on @GCHAlliance.

Like our respective Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/climateandhealthalliance and https://www.facebook.com/climateandhealth

Have a look Climasphere for lots of resources about climate change and the IPCC report.

Later this week, you can check out a short film, share some infographics  and join a webinar on climate and health – look for details here: http://www.climateandhealthalliance.org/ipcc

Importantly however, please do as CAHA President Dr Liz Hanna urges in this press release:

“Act at a global level, a national level, at state and community level and as individuals. We must do all we can to cut emissions and urge others to do so if we are to avoid putting health at greater risk,” Dr Hanna said. “The reality is, cutting emissions will bring many immediate benefits for public health, as well as help limit climate change in the longer term. We can afford to do it, but we cannot afford to wait.”

Categories Advocacy, Behaviour change, Children, Climate, Emissions, Environment, Ethics, Extreme weather, Health, Heatwaves, Psychology, Public health, Public policy, survival, Sustainability, Transformation
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Forum on Climate and Health: the Research, Policy and Advocacy Agenda

by CAHA
November 23rd, 2013

Forum on Climate and Health: the Research, Policy and Advocacy Agenda 

November 2013

This forum brought together health and medical researchers, health and medical professionals, students, environmental educators and community members to discuss the research, policy and advocacy agenda needed in Australia on climate and health.

Participants  issued a Joint Statement following the forum expressing their collective concern at the current lack of recognition of the health effects of climate change by governments, businesses and the broader community.

Click on this link to read the Joint Statement from Participants. The accompanying media release is here.

You can read a ‘storified’ report of the  Twitter stream from the event here.

Listen to this podcast from the forum prepared by Beyond Zero Radio presenter Vivien Langford.

Categories Advocacy, Allied health, Behaviour change, Climate, Emissions, Energy, Energy policy, Environment, Ethics, Extreme weather, Health, Health policy, Health professionals, health promotion, healthcare, Heat, Heatwaves, Medical, Nursing, Psychology, Public health, Public policy, Research, Social policy, Sustainability, Sustainable, Transformation
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Sydney screening: The Human Cost of Power

by CAHA
October 23rd, 2013

The new short film, The Human Cost of Power, a project of the Climate and Health Alliance and Public Health Association of Australia, will be screened in Sydney on 20th November 2013.

An event at the University of Notre Dame will be the first NSW screening of the film that explores the health and climate impacts of coal and gas.

When: 6.00pm-7.30pm Wednesday 20th November 2013

Where: Lecture Theatre NDS14/201, University of Notre Dame, 160 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW. Download a campus map here. 

Categories Advocacy, Children, Climate, Coal, Emissions, Energy, Energy policy, Environment, Health, Solar, Transformation, Wind
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Green dialysis program in Geelong

by CAHA
September 24th, 2013

By CAHA Convenor, Fiona Armstrong

“I had the pleasure of attending the September meeting of the Victorian Green Health Round Table Group this month and was inspired by some of the actions being taken within Victorian hospitals to reduce their environmental footprint and save resources.

Individuals from around fifteen major hospital groups met at Barwon Health in Geelong to discuss current initiatives and to hear from Professor John Agar on the world leading green dialysis program run at Barwon Health.

Professor Agar shared the success of the green dialysis program, and the Barwon team’s contribution to starting the world’s literature on eco-dialysis. There are now 30 publications in the health and medical literature about this program.

The program began as a nocturnal dialysis program to allow patients to dialyse at home, however the excessive costs associated with water, power and waste that were then borne by patients forced a rethink about how to take a smarter approach to water use and re-use and sourcing cheaper power.

The unit now provides the world’s first solar powered dialysis system and recycles and reuses reject water from the reverse osmosis system. Patients are sent home with solar panels that cover all the energy requirements of the dialysis machine.

A recent publication in Australian Health Review on the carbon footprint of dialysis outlines the carbon footprint of the unit and compares it to other hypothetical units in other states in order to predict the impact of local factors on emissions profiles.

In the longer term the team hopes to have a purpose built facility that is eco friendly, eco responsive, and carbon light in order to deliver ecodialysis services to all patients.”

For more info, see www.greendialysis.org

Categories Advocacy, Climate, Environment, Health, healthcare, Solar, Sustainability
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