Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Vqu3M1_3U
The
Guardian,
21 July 2022:
We
know climate change creates catastrophic weather events. But here’s
what you may not know about the wider risks to our health.
The
latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) warns that the human-induced climate catastrophe is a “grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing”. With a changing planet comes
changing threats to our wellbeing. People’s health – and the
infrastructure that supports it – will be increasingly affected by
adverse weather events and the slow-onset effects of climate change.
As
experts from Monash University explain, our future wellbeing is a
complex issue. There are questions of new diseases, and old ones
making a return, alongside the direct impacts of flood, fire and
rising temperatures, disrupted education and supply chains, and the
simple fact of living longer. Without serious intervention, the
health risks we face in 2030 may be unrecognisable from today’s.
The
most common health conditions will evolve
Dr
Yuming Guo, professor of global environmental health in Monash’s
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, explains the
potential physiological impact of climate change. “Climate change
increases the temperature, which is directly related to the emissions
and body function – for example, causing increased blood pressure
and decreased lung function, and affecting metabolic and renal
function,” he says.
These
health issues can snowball. Professor Arthur Christopoulos, Monash’s
dean of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, says: “You apply that
to the next generation and you’ve got a real issue. Because on top
of that, climate change is going to influence every aspect of this
conversation. You’re affecting water quality and sources, food
security, shelter and where you can access food. It’s a combination
of factors.”
In
Australia, the
greatest health burden is currently cardiovascular disease – a
condition known
to be exacerbated by extreme heat and air pollution. But,
Christopoulos says, other conditions are hot on its tail. “Because
of air quality issues, respiratory diseases are going to go up.
Because of the longevity aspect, age-related neurological diseases
will increase – dementia
is now the third-leading cause of disease burden. These global
health burdens are not new, but they are going to get worse.”
Aerial
overhead view of a multi-ethnic group of elementary age children
drawing. They are seated around a table. The kids are using colored
pencils to make a mural. The have colored a world map, objects found
in nature, and symbols of environmental conservation.
The
next generation will require more complex care
Alongside
physiological issues exacerbated by climate, the incidence of
psychiatric disease will continue to rise, especially in the next
generation, Christopoulos says. “Depression and anxiety we’re
going to be seeing a lot more,” he says. “Partly, they were
already on the rise. But Covid, the world’s reaction to it, and
isolationism are all factors.”
Professor
Sophia Zoungas, head of Monash’s School of Public Health and
Preventive Medicine, says climate change presents a two-fold
challenge: responding to acute health crises, such as communicable
disease outbreaks after floods, while continuing to effectively
manage pre-existing chronic conditions.
“Natural
disasters arising from climate change, such as fires and floods,
present immediate logistical challenges to people with chronic
disease, as they struggle to access vital medications and care. We
also need to consider the spiralling impacts of extreme physical and
mental stress caused by these events on underlying chronic
conditions.”
says
professor Sophia Zoungas”
“The
Covid pandemic has seen an increase in public health and healthcare
expenditure. While that’s understandable, with climate change
potentially driving more frequent disasters, we need to build such
responses into our future plans. We need to ensure equitable access
to healthcare, especially given the system is already under stress.”
Healthcare
will need to change to deal with unprecedented demand
Increases
in health concerns will inevitably require more healthcare. But while
there will be direct concerns, such as a rise in diseases, they are
not the only factor. Guo says weather events, climate-related
sociopolitical unrest and increasing poverty will also have indirect
impacts, such as supply and resourcing issues, including of medical
practitioners themselves.
“The
healthcare workforce is only projected to grow. But there is no
workforce training without education and without access to education.
There’s been chronic underinvestment. We need a greater push to
develop the next-generation workforce for dealing with the healthcare
needs of our society.”
says
professor Arthur Christopoulos, Monash’s dean of pharmacy and
pharmaceutical sciences”
According
to Zoungas, sufficiently addressing those needs might mean investing
in a whole new model. “Codesigning healthcare with the community
will help us build a system with processes and goals that actually
mean something important to patients,” she says. “We also need to
improve the way we talk about health and share evidence with the
public. We need super communicators who understand the science and
can frame it in a way that makes sense to communities.”
Monash’s
experts say we can learn from the past as we move forward.
Technology, digitised healthcare and new modelling can all help us
build a more sustainable healthcare system to face these
unprecedented challenges.
“We
are learning a new language in healthcare,” Zoungas says. “The
pandemic has taught us how agile and proactive the medical sector can
be. Clinical guidelines are being updated faster using living
evidence models, telehealth has revolutionised routine healthcare,
ethics approvals for research are being fast-tracked. It feels like
an opportunity to move forward with a renewed can-do attitude and try
to apply these learnings system-wide.”
We
need change now more than ever. Join us to change it
NOTE:
Advertisement feature paid for by Monash University, Melbourne,
Victoria
