Scientists explore link between climate change

and human health

By Graham Land Jul 29, 2014
The Australian Academy of Science has gathered 60 researchers in order
to raise concerns about climate change as it relates to public health. The main purpose
of the newly formed think-tank is to influence government response but also public
awareness about what increases in temperature and changes in weather patterns can
mean for personal wellbeing.
The Academy divided experts ! including anthropologists engineers public health
researchers and human geographers ! into five groups in order to analyse data and
create a report which it will present later this year"
#. Temperature and extreme weather events
$. %nfectious disease
&. 'ood and water supplies
(. )ivelihood and disadvantage
*. Security social instability and conflict
+rofessor ,meritus -ruce Armstrong of the .niversity of Sydney/s school of public
health is 0uoted by 1uardian Australia"
Whatever some people might think, global warming is occurring and
the climate is changing and it is easy to see how health can be
impacted, but until now there has been a relatively small scientific
contribution into these health impacts.
People tend to look at climate change as just temperatures getting a little
hotter and that being something they can manage. They dont seriously see
the impacts that will flow from a small increase in the average temperature
where the net effect will be enormous.
Flooding in Brisbane, 2011. Pic: Tatters (Flickr !
2espite the Australian Academy of Science/s concerns that the public health aspect of
climate change has been ignored the country was found to be uni0ue in its
contribution to research on mental health and climate change according to
a report from 1rist. $3 papers and chapters have been published on the sub4ect in the
country. 5owever they were all traced back to the same person" 5elen -erry a
psychiatric epidemiologist at the .niversity of 6anberra.
7e/re not talking about the so-called anxiety of children some climate change deniers
attribute to 8warmist propaganda9. -erry/s research deals with legitimate mental
stresses associated with real effects that can be caused or influenced by climate change
such as drought or crop failures. -erry has looked at aboriginal communities who are
used to centuries of weather patterns which they now see changing. As far as children
are concerned she has found that those with weak social bonds suffer comparatively
more from the effects climate-influenced disasters like floods and fires.
When you think about what climate change does, it basically increases
the risk of weather-related disasters of one sort or another. What
happens from a psychological point of view is people get knocked
down. Whenever people are knocked down, they have to get up again
and start over. nd the more that happens, the more difficult it is to
keep getting up.
!elen "erry, psychiatric epidemiologist, #niversity of $anberra.
-erry/s mentor is one Tony :c:ichael formerly of the Australian ;ational .niversity
<now retired=. :c:ichael is thought of as 8the father of climate change and health
research9 so it seems that Australia is a leader in the field.
"roug#t in $ast %il&ore, 'ictoria, 2009. Pic: beleobus (Flickr !
>n a global level the issue of climate change and public health will be dealt with at a
7orld 5ealth >rgani?ation conference in 1eneva Swit?erland next month. Titled
the 6onference on 5ealth and 6limate the 75> states the goals of the meeting as
empowering the health and sustainable development communities to"
,nhance resilience and protect health from climate change.
%dentify the health benefits associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and other climate pollutants.
Support health-promoting climate change policies.
>ne ma4or concern about climate change and health as regards to public policy is
whether the policy makers will listen. So far they haven/t done much on climate change
! as recommended by scientists ! full stop.
+osted by Thavam