• home
  • about
    • members
    • governance
    • priorities
    • contact
  • projects
    • healthy energy
    • the human cost of power
    • green healthcare
    • hunter coal
  • media
    • media releases
    • CAHA in the media
  • publications
    • annual reports
    • briefing papers
    • caha reports
    • newsletters
    • position statements
    • submissions
  • resources
    • reports
    • research
  • campaigns
    • national strategy for climate & health
    • healthy energy
    • water for health
    • protect our children
    • federal election 2013
  • get involved
    • donate
    • volunteer
    • join
  • blog

Archive for Heatwaves

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
Comments (0)

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
Comments (0)

Climate and health ‘Clinic’ at SLF 2013

by CAHA
April 15th, 2013

A big shout out to the wonderful health promotion practitioners and students who participated in the Climate and Health Alliance’s initiative at the Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival for the second year in 2013.

Here, volunteer Sally talks about what they got up to and what the Climate and Health Clinic is about.

Categories Advocacy, Allied health, Behaviour change, Climate, Emissions, Energy, Health, Health professionals, Healthy, Heat, Heatwaves, Nursing, Public health, Sustainability, Well-being, Wellness
Comments (0)

Lives increasingly at risk from ‘angry climate’

by CAHA
March 4th, 2013

Australian’s lives are increasingly at risk from extreme weather being driven by climate change, the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) has warned.

CAHA has responded to a new report from the Climate Commission, The Angry Summer, which shows the recent summer was the hottest ever, during which Australia recorded its first ever average maximum of 40.30°C, on 7 January 2013.

Heatwaves pose the most serious threat to health, but lives were also lost in recent bushfires and flooding following extreme rainfall.

The report shows the world is moving into a ‘new climate’, the consequences for which could be devastating for all people everywhere and for the natural systems on which we rely.

Read more here.

Categories Climate, Emissions, Extreme weather, Health, Heat, Heatwaves, Public policy, survival, Sustainability, Well-being
Comments (0)

Climate and health at Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival 2013

by CAHA
February 28th, 2013

Climate and health at the Sustainable Living Festival 2013

The Climate and Health Alliance hosted three very successful events at this year’s Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne – a Climate and Health Clinic; The Heat is On – a forum on climate change, health and extreme heat; and Our Uncashed Dividend – a session on the health benefits of climate action.

Professor David Karoly, Fiona Armstrong, Dr Liz Hanna and Dr Tony Bartone. By shotbykatie.

A full report, more photos and a blog featuring some of our marvellous volunteers coming soon!

 

 

Categories Advocacy, Climate, Extreme weather, Health, Health professionals, Heat, Heatwaves, Sustainability
Comments (0)

Book your tickets to Melbourne!

by CAHA
February 4th, 2013

The Climate and Health Alliance is involved in THREE events at the 2013 Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival:


Climate and Health Clinic – all weekend Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th February

Roving ‘health promoters’ will help people develop their own individualised ‘prescriptions for a healthy life and a health planet’.

The clinic and ‘prescriptions’ provide opportunities for people to learn about sustainable lifestyles are healthy lifestyles and how cutting emissions can improve health. Some strategies people can choose for their own prescription include: walking, cycling or using public transport; switching to clean renewable energy e.g. installing solar panels; adopting a plant based diet; or spending time with nature e.g. bushwalking, or getting involved in community gardening or tree planting projects.

To volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator Bronwyn Wauchope [email protected] or Fiona Armstrong [email protected].

 

The Heat is On – Climate change, extreme heat and human health – a panel discussion: 3PM-4PM Sat 16th Feb in The Greenhouse @ Birrarung Marr

Featuring CAHA President Dr Liz Hanna; CAHA scientific advisor Professor David Karoly; and Victorian AMA Vice President Dr Tony Bartone on the impact of climate change on extreme weather including heatwaves; how heatwaves affect people’s health; and what we can do about it.

 

Our Uncashed Dividend – 11am-12pm Sunday 17th Feb in Under the Gum talk tent

Come and hear the good news about climate action – how strategies to reduce emissions can improve your own and the community’s health, not to mention save money.

Our transition to low-carbon living provides the opportunity to create healthier, happier communities and could save billions of dollars for health budgets by avoiding much ill health and lost productivity.

The report Our Uncashed Dividend: The Health Benefits of Climate Action, produced by the Climate and Health Alliance and The Climate Institute, spells out the evidence.

Come and hear from report author Fiona Armstrong and contributor Corey Watts about our nation’s ‘Uncashed Dividend’.

 

 

Categories Advocacy, Climate, Emissions, Extreme weather, Health, Heat, Heatwaves, Sustainability, Transformation, Uncategorized, Well-being
Comments (0)

Extreme heat: Australia’s record breaking heatwave

by CAHA
February 4th, 2013

Australians have been sweltering this summer as extreme heat conditions are felt across many parts of the country.

Health groups are urging people to take care in the heat, observe heat and fire warnings and to seek medical advice if they feel unwell.

There is heat health advice available from each of the state and territory healthy departments (Victoria; NSW; Qld; SA;  WA; NT; Tas; and ACT) as well as local healthcare providers to help reduce exposure and risks to health.

The Climate Commission has developed a new resource on extreme heat Off the Charts: Extreme Australian Summer Heat highlighting the links between climate change and extreme heat events, urging appropriate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to put measures in place to prepare for, and respond to, extreme weather.

Download the report here.

Categories Advocacy, Children, Climate, Extreme weather, Health, Heat, Heatwaves, Public health
Comments (0)

Recent Posts

  • Powerful alliances pushing for action on climate change, locally and globally
  • Climate mitigation – the greatest public health opportunity of our time
  • Launch of landmark new research report
  • Climate change: a great threat to health, but not as generally conceived
  • Electronic networking does work!

Categories

  • Advocacy
  • Allied health
  • Behaviour change
  • Carbon
  • Children
  • Climate
  • Coal
  • Ecology
  • Emissions
  • Energ policy
  • Energy
  • Energy policy
  • Environment
  • Ethics
  • Extreme weather
  • General
  • Governance
  • Health
  • Health policy
  • Health professionals
  • health promotion
  • healthcare
  • Healthy
  • Heat
  • Heatwaves
  • Hospitals
  • Medical
  • Mitigate
  • Nursing
  • Psychology
  • Public health
  • Public policy
  • Research
  • Social policy
  • Solar
  • survival
  • Sustainability
  • sustainability
  • Sustainable
  • Transformation
  • Uncategorized
  • Waste
  • Well-being
  • Wellness
  • Wind

Archives

  • June 2015 (4)
  • May 2015 (1)
  • March 2015 (1)
  • December 2014 (3)
  • November 2014 (3)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (2)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (1)
  • April 2014 (1)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • November 2013 (3)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (3)
  • July 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (1)
  • April 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (5)
  • January 2013 (1)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (3)
  • October 2012 (3)
  • September 2012 (2)
  • August 2012 (2)
  • July 2012 (3)
  • June 2012 (2)
  • May 2012 (1)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • March 2012 (1)
  • January 2012 (1)
  • December 2011 (3)
  • November 2011 (2)
  • October 2011 (1)
  • August 2011 (1)
  • July 2011 (1)
  • May 2011 (1)
  • April 2011 (1)
  • March 2011 (1)
  • February 2011 (1)
  • January 2011 (1)
Climate & Health Alliance
Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved
iThemes Builder by iThemes
Powered by WordPress