media releases

Media contact: Fiona Armstrong

Call 0438 900 005 or email fiona.armstrong@caha.org.au

2019

14 November 2019

The life of every child will now be profoundly affected by climate change: report

A new report published in the international medical journal The Lancet, developed by scientists at 35 universities and institutions around the world, says accelerating climate change will now define the lives of all people including children born today.

The world is struggling to cope with warming that is occurring faster than governments are able or willing to respond, the 2019 Lancet Countdown report says, and global leadership on climate change and health is being left to those most affected, particularly small island developing states.

Fiona Armstrong, Executive Director of the Australian Climate and Health Alliance, a coalition of health groups raising awareness about the risks to health from climate change, said: “Governments and industry must do more.

11 September 2019

Australian health care sector second highest greenhouse gas emitter per capita, new report finds

Australia’s health care sector is the second highest emitter of greenhouse gases per capita, according to Health care’s climate footprint: How the health sector contributes to the global climate crisis and opportunities for action, a new report by Health Care Without Harm (HCWH).

The report also finds that, if the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet.

“The role of the health sector is a critical one in addressing the climate crisis. The healthcare sector in Australia is responsible for 7 per cent of our total national emissions, which is more than the waste sector, and more than industrial processes,” said Fiona Armstrong, Executive Director of Australia’s Climate and Health Alliance, HCWH’s strategic partner in Australia.

8 August 2019

Stronger air pollution laws essential for Australian’s health

Australia’s air pollution standards are failing to protect the health of the nation’s children and costing the nation $16 billion each year, the national peak body for health groups, the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), said today.

“Australian children are increasingly suffering from asthma, in rates that are among the highest in the world,” CAHA Executive Director Fiona Armstrong said.

3 May 2019

Health groups release climate policy scorecard: Coalition earns 0/8

The national coalition of health groups working for climate action, Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), has released a Federal Election Scorecard after analysing the parties’ policies on climate change and health.

The health impacts of climate change are the cause of deep concerns among health and medical professionals worldwide. The British Medical Journal and the World Health Organization Director General have both described climate change as a “health emergency” and the Medical Journal of Australia has said that inaction on climate change is “costing lives” in Australia.

16 April 2019

Protect health and save lives: Open letter calls on every federal parliamentary candidate to address climate health emergency

“Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to the health of people in Australia and across the world.”

AN OPEN LETTER from an unprecedented coalition of health, welfare, and environment groups published today calls for all candidates in the upcoming federal election to recognise climate change as a core public health threat and commit to supporting policy to respond.

11 April 2019

CAHA welcomes the WA Government’s action on climate change and health

The Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), a coalition of over 30 health organisations, today welcomed the Western Australian Government’s release of its Sustainable Health Review. In particular in relation to the reports recommendation for the state’s public health system to address the effects of climate change on the community’s health.

2 April 2019

Health groups welcome ALP climate-health strategy announcement as an investment in Australia’s health

The Climate and Health Alliance have welcomed the commitment by Federal ALP today to a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being.

Fiona Armstrong, Executive Director of the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), said the announcement made by Federal Labor demonstrates their understanding of the fundamental impacts that climate change is already having on the health and well-being of Australian communities.

1 April 2019

Without action on climate change – Australia’s health budget is at risk

To protect the health and well-being of all Australians, and to prevent cost blow outs, future budgets must include a commitment to action on climate change – the Climate and Health Alliance says.

The Climate and Health Alliance is calling for the federal government to allocate appropriate funding and resources to address the current and growing risks that climate change poses to public health.

13 March 2019

Health Coalition Supports School Strike 4 Climate

The national coalition of health groups working for climate action, Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), has announced its support for the School Strike 4 Climate being held in cities and towns across Australia on 15 March 2019.

CAHA Executive Director Fiona Armstrong said the hopes and fears of young people about the threats to the global community from the damaging effects of climate change were shared by health and medical professionals across the world.

2018

30 November 2018

Phase out of coal and carbon price are key public health measures: research report

Health groups representing around 50% of the national health professional workforce are demanding the implementation of a national climate and health policy following the publication of the latest assessment of Australia’s performance in the international medical journal, The Lancet.

The Lancet Countdown report, which assesses countries’ performance on indicators including vulnerability to climate impacts, adaptation and mitigation plans, shows that Australia continues to lag behind comparable high-income countries in its response to climate change and the impacts on human health.

29 October 2018

Health professionals weigh in on air pollution impact

Australia's leading health groups are calling on the government to respond to the increasing threat of air pollution to people’s health.

As the World Health Organisation meets for the first ever global conference on air pollution and health in Geneva on Monday, the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) voiced growing concern about the increasing health impacts on the Australian population.

15 October 2018

Health groups welcome support for climate and health strategy

Health groups representing hundreds of thousands of health professionals across Australia are calling on all Wentworth by-election candidates to support a national strategy on climate change and health, warning the evidence of health impacts from a changing climate are too severe to ignore.

Independent candidate for Wentworth, Dr Kerryn Phelps, is the latest candidate to back the national strategy based on the framework developed by health stakeholders, following last week’s IPCC report that “unprecedented” changes were needed if global warming increases 1.5C beyond the pre-industrial period.

8 October 2018

Public health warning: exceeding Paris targets puts hundreds of thousands of lives at risk

Australian health professionals have declared the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report a public health warning and called on the federal government urgently develop a national climate and health policy.

19 February 2018

Queenslanders to benefit from health plan to combat climate change impacts

A Discussion Paper and Survey released today calls for health services and those providing aged care and childcare to contribute to the development of a climate change response plan for the health sector in Qld.

The Queensland Government has funded the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) to develop a health and wellbeing climate adaptation plan for the state.

2017

14 November 2017

Medibank divestment from fossil fuels a win for people's health

As a coalition of groups committed to better health and a safer climate, the Climate and Health Alliance has welcomes the decision by Medibank to divest from fossil fuels.

"The decision by Medibank to limit its exposure to assets that contribute to global warming is an important acknowledgement of the harmful impacts of climate change on people's health and well-being," said Climate and Health Alliance Executive Director, Fiona Armstrong.

31 October 2017

Human lives being lost due to inaction on climate: major new international health study

A major new health report reveals the failure of nations, including Australia, to tackle climate change is jeopardizing human lives and livelihoods around the world.

The Lancet Countdown 2030 report reveals 125 million vulnerable adults have been exposed to heatwaves since 2010, with an additional one billion facing exposure by 2040.

An accompanying Australian Policy Brief highlights the need for all levels of government to prioritise health in climate change responses, which should include phasing out coal, tightening emissions regulations in transport and building sectors, and integrating health in climate policy, as per the example of the health sector led Framework for a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being for Australia, released in June 2017.

22 June 2017

World First: Leading Health Experts Launch a Framework for a National Climate and Health Strategy

In a world first initiative, a coalition of leading health experts and organisations, along with federal parliamentarians, will today launch a Framework for a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being for Australia.

The Framework has been developed on behalf of a coalition of over thirty health and medical organisations, and follows a year-long national consultation to identify stakeholders’ priorities and concerns regarding the health impacts of climate change.

Executive Director of the Climate and Health Alliance Fiona Armstrong said: “The Framework provides a comprehensive roadmap to assist Australia in addressing the significant risks that climate change poses to the health and well-being of the community, and in meeting its obligations to citizen’s ‘right to health’ under the Paris Agreement.”

Latrobe Valley to benefit from cleaner air and better health

Hospitals and health services in Australia and New Zealand recognised as ‘Climate Champions’ in global awards