Climate change is considered by the World Health Organisation to be the greatest threat to global health this century. The planet has warmed significantly over the past century as a result of increased global emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. There is little doubt, at least in the scientific world, that human activity and its insatiable demand for cheap energy has contributed substantially to global warming. Climate change is also an indirect contributor to atmospheric air quality. Large-scale epidemiological studies that have combined meteorological data and climactic events with hospital admissions and other large health datasets have convincingly demonstrated the relationship between increasing levels of atmospheric pollutants with a wide range of health outcomes. The very young and elderly, and populations with high comorbidity and the most economically disadvantaged are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In this presentation, Professor Huxley focus specifically on the health and economic consequences of one aspect of the climate change-human health nexus that has become particularly evident in Australia in recent years and propose a framework for how we can mitigate future risk.
