Have you perhaps been wondering to what degree the health and wellbeing of women & girls will be valued as the global patriarchal structure shudders under the ongoing environmental, geopolitical, economic, and social shocks flowing from climate change? You are not the only one.

The Lancet

Vol 404 August 24, 2024

Many crises, one call to action: advancing gender equality in health in response to polycrises

Rajat Khosla, Gita Sen,

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,

Winnie Byanyima, Sima Bahous,

Debora Diniz, et al.

Published: July 24, 2024

The state of polycrises linked to concurrent conflict, climate catastrophe, the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing HIV epidemic, and geopolitical, economic, and social shocks is a cause of deep concern for the global health community. Polycrises, including the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, Sudan, and Myanmar, political movements in different countries that threaten to over-turn human rights and climate laws, or the flash floods in Bangladesh, Brazil, and Tanzania, have led to a new era likely to worsen gender inequalities and health challenges in terms of scale, severity, and complexity. Not only have these crises laid bare injustices and entrenched gender-based intersectional inequalities that exist in health, but they have also deepened and widened health disparities within and across countries, with differences starkly marked along lines of income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, and geographical location, among other factors.1

Taking stock of the gendered impact of polycrises is the first step towards forging a collective response from governments and the global health community. Globally, women make up the majority of extreme poor among people aged 15 years and older, with the gender poverty gap forecast to widen by 2030.2 Disproportionate job losses and limited access to financial resources in a climate of economic insecurity have pushed women into precarious work environments, jeopardising their health, integrity, and safety.3 The responsibilities of caregiving also intensifies during polycrises, with women and girls taking on greater responsibilities, including childcare, care of ill or dependent persons, and older persons care, and frequently neglecting their own health needs.4, 5 Clinic closures, resource shortages, and displacement due to crises disproportionately affect women's access to health services, such as reproductive health care, prenatal care, and safe childbirth.6 Even some high-income nations are among the 19 countries that had a higher maternal mortality ratio in 2020 compared with 1990. 7 Furthermore, conflict, climate displacement, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to concerning increases in gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child, early, and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and son preference.7

The adverse impacts of polycrises on women's and girls' rights and health extend to their crucial roles as health workers. Women, who make up almost 70% of the global health workforce and 90% of nurses and midwives, are the front line of the health system; they deliver vital health services during crises and are often exposed to violence, especially in places affected by conflict.8, 9 Yet women in the health workforce are usually inadequately paid, insufficiently valued, and under-represented in leadership and decision-making positions.10

Alongside polycrises, there have been unprecedented attacks on the bodily autonomy, choices, and human rights of women and girls.7 Globally organised movements have mobilised against laws related to access to safe abortion and contraception, LGBTQI+ rights, and comprehensive sexuality education.7 This is visible in different forms, ranging from increasing levels of violence, hate speech, and misinformation campaigns to difficulties accessing funding for health and human rights organisations and the introduction of regressive laws or failure to eliminate discriminatory laws and policies.11

In this climate of competing priorities and recurrent crises, governments, UN agencies, donors, and civil society groups collectively hold immense power to ensure action is taken to advance and prioritise women's rights, gender equality, and human rights, including the right to health. This approach is paramount for mitigating and preventing the deepening of future crises.12 Evidence indicates that narrowing the gap in women's health would avoid 24 million life-years lost due to disability, add more than US$1 trillion to the global economy, and increase economic productivity by up to $400 billion.13 However, these investments need to be combined with enabling legislation and support for gender equality in health, including bodily autonomy and integrity more broadly. In this context, it is only through true collective action that we can bring about the changes that are direly needed. In particular, our joint efforts need to focus on three key areas.

First, funding and increased support are needed to strengthen investments, partnerships, and research led by grass-roots communities and feminist and women-led civil society organisations. Communities, notably, feminist and women-led civil society groups, hold a rich understanding of how crises play out and affect gender disparities, health, and rights of communities. They are well placed to document and deepen our understanding of this impact and identify contextually relevant solutions to advance gender equality and rights. During a crisis feminist and women-led organisations are also often directly involved in the provision of health services, including sexual and reproductive health services and information, in contexts where public goods and services are limited or no longer available.14, 15 Despite widespread evidence of the essential roles of feminist civil society and movements, investments in community-led research and partnerships are shrinking and being deprioritised in the context of polycrises.16, 17 Governments, UN agencies, and donors must act now and reverse this trend.

Second, policies are needed to support alignment across institutions and struggles for equality and rights. Fragmentation is happening at multiple levels and includes disjointed systems that promote siloes, competition, or polarisation between movements striving for gender equality and women's rights.18, 19 These challenges can manifest as the frequent exclusion of ministries of finance in discussions to ensure the right to health and wellbeing of women and girls, or as hostile attacks between gender equality and rights-based movements that unfold on social media platforms, quickly degenerating into the use of stigmatising labels and exclusionary language. Irrespective of how this fragmentation develops, it is fuelling mistrust and creating restrictive environments that hinder meaningful collaboration and collective action. It is imperative that collective efforts better integrate systems and processes and build links across struggles, particularly the multiple intersections of inequalities.

Third, financial responses at global, regional, and national levels need to be formulated so that they support gender equality and women's rights. Current financial responses during crises frequently impede the upholding of human rights and in turn deepen income inequalities.20 For instance, immense pressure on governments to focus on austerity policies and debt repayments during and after crises detracts from investments in essential public services and in communities that have been most impacted.20 The global financial architecture, right down to national budgets and ministries of health and finance, needs to have a more deliberate approach to investing in gender-related issues and women's rights to ensure support is provided to the communities and groups most affected by crises. Learning from and with feminist financing models offers a strong baseline to build from.21, 22 Not only will this approach support short-term stabilisation during crises, but it will also build long-term resilience and equity in resource mobilisation and allocation.

Global overlapping crises are worsening gender equality and health disparities. Addressing these issues requires us to unite political, health, and civil society leadership efforts towards reinforcing community-driven partnerships, reforming financial and health strategies to support equality, and integrating systems to create cohesive responses. Now is the crucial moment to act.

1 World Economic Forum. The global risks report 2023. 2023. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2023/ (accessed July 8, 2024).

2 UN Women. From insights to action: gender equality in the wake of COVID-19. 2020. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/09/gender-equality-in-the-wake-of-covid-19 (accessed July 8, 2024).

3 International Labour Organization. Policy brief: a gender-responsive employment recovery: building back fairer. 2020. https://www.ilo.org/publications/gender-responsive-employment-recovery-building-back-fairer (accessed July 8, 2024).

4 UN Women. Gender alert: the gendered impact of the crisis in Gaza.2024. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/202401/Gender%20Alert%20The%20Gendered%20Impact%20of%20the%20Crisis%20in%20 Gaza.pdf (accessed July 8, 2024).

5 Power K. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the care burden of women and families. Sustainability Sci Pract Policy 2020; 16: 67–73.

6 World Economic Forum. Why we need more female voices while addressing humanitarian crises. 2022. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/listening-to-female-voices-can-stop-humanitarian-crises-harmingwomen-s-and-girls-health/ (accessed July 8, 2024).

7 UNFPA. Interwoven lives, threads of hope: ending inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights. 2024. https://www.unfpa.org/ swp2024 (accessed July 8, 2024).

8 Ignacio AR, Sales K, Tamayo RL. Seeking gender equality in the global health workforce. Think Global Health. March 8, 2024. https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/seeking-gender-equality-global-healthworkforce (accessed July 8, 2024).

9 WHO, Global Health Workforce Network, Women in Global Health. Closing the leadership gap: gender equity and leadership in the global health and care workforce. 2021. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240025905 (accessed July 8, 2024).

10 Phillips G, Kendino M, Brolan CE, et al. Women on the frontline: exploring the gendered experience for Pacific healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 2023; 42: 100961.

11 Petersen MJ. Religion, gender, and sexuality: three points on freedom of religion or belief. BYU Law International Center for Law and Religion Studies. Nov 21, 2022. https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2022/11/21/religiongender-and-sexuality/ (accessed July 8, 2024).

12 Percival V, Thoms OT, Oppenheim B, et al. The Lancet Commission on peaceful societies through health equity and gender equality. Lancet 2023; 402: 1661–722.

13 World Economic Forum. Closing the women’s health gap: a $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies. 2024. https://www.weforum.org/publications/closing-the-women-s-health-gap-a-1-trillionopportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies/ (accessed July 8, 2024).

14 UN. Human Rights Council. A/HRC/47/38: women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health rights in crisis. Report of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. April 28, 2021. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc4738-womens-and-girlssexual-and-reproductive-health-rights-crisis (accessed July 8, 2024).

15 UN Women. Gender alert: voices of strength: contributions of Palestinian women-led organizations to the humanitarian response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 2024. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/06/gender-alert-voices-of-strength-contributions-ofpalestinian-women-led-organizations-to-the-humanitarian-response-inthe-occupied-palestinian-territory (accessed July 8, 2024).

16 The Young Feminist Fund, The Association for Women’s Rights in Development’s Young Feminist Activism Program. The global state of young feminist organizing. 2016. https://youngfeministfund.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/05/Global-State-of-Young-Feminist-Organizing.pdf (accessed July 8, 2024).

17 Aho E, Grinde J. Shrinking space for civil society—challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Forum SYD. 2017. https://www.forumciv.org/sites/ default/files/2018-03/Shrinking-Space%20%20Challenges%20in%20implementing%20the%202030%20agenda.pdf (accessed July 8, 2024).

18 UN Women. Discussion paper. Democratic backsliding and the backlash against women’s rights: understanding the current challenges for feminist politics. 2020. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2020/Discussion-paper-Democratic-backsliding-and-the-backlash-againstwomens-rights-en.pdf (accessed July 8, 2024).

19 Touimi-Benjelloun Z, Sandler J. Collective power for gender equality: an unfinished agenda for the UN. 2022. United Nations University International Institute for Global Health. August, 2022. http://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:8897/Collective_Power_for_Gender_Equality.pdf (accessed July 8, 2024).

20 UN. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. A world of debt report 2024: a growing burden to global prosperity. 2024. https://unctad.org/publication/world-of-debt (accessed July 8, 2024).

21 International Labour Organization, UN Women. Financing social protection: feminist alternatives to austerity. 2023. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/financing_social_protection_en.pdf (accessed July 8, 2024).

22 Hessini L. Financing for gender equality and women’s rights: the role of feminist funds. Gender Development 2020; 28: 357–76.

 

State of Play Yamba NSW, April 2024: community meetings on the the subject of flooding and overdevelopment in the town & environs

Only road into Yamba in the Clarence Valley cut by flood waters at Shallow Channel, 3 March 2022 flooding. IMAGE: Clarence Valley Council

Yamba Road during February-March 2022 flooding. IMAGE: The Daily Telegraph

Shores Drive, Yamba, March 2022. IMAGE: YambaCAN

Yamba suffered unprecedented flooding earlier this year, particularly in Golding, Cook and Endeavour streets (lower left-hand corner of pic). Meanwhile, amid the arguments put by Yamba residents that this flooding was caused by poor planning for development on the West Yamba floodplain, the West Yamba Landowners Consortium’s WYURA Flood Impact Assessment notes that “Golding Street … is already shown to be largely filled … such, that the majority of the site is above the 1 in 100 annual exceedance probability flood level. Photo: Contributed [Clarence Valley Independent, 24 October 2022]

Clarence Valley Independent, 24 April 2024:

Greens MLC Sue Higginson says Grevillea Waters Yamba residents are in the “fight of their lives” against an “intolerable” development proposal for 16 townhouses on adjacent flood prone land which was claimed may put the lives of the 200 plus residents at risk.

Ms Higginson, who is the chairperson of a current NSW parliamentary current inquiry into the planning system and impacts of climate change on the environment and communities visited the Hometown Australia owned village on Sunday to hear the residents’ concerns about the development proposal for 30 Golding Street, Yamba.

She said she was extremely impressed by how organised the Grevillea Waters community were and how they have “forensically analysed” the development proposal to make comprehensive submissions to council addressing their concerns.

“They have applied their lived experience, that local knowledge to the DA that is before them, and I believe their concerns are very clear, very real, and very accurate…they’re in the fight of their lives,” she said.

Touring the site on the village bus gave Ms Higginson first-hand perspective of the impact of the 2022 flood, viewing photos of the development site 90 cm under water.

“You can’t say that land that was impacted like that in 2022, with that volume of water, is not going to impact this site, and the problem is that the development application documents say there will be no adverse flooding impacts,” she said.

“I don’t think that conclusion can be accepted, and I don’t think that it can be supported.”

Ms Higginson, former senior lawyer at the Environmental Defenders Office, said she advised residents to continue on the active and proactive engagement they are having with the development proposal, and they are appealing to every possible person who may be able to influence the outcome of this development proposal.

“Really, the best thing that can happen here is that the council refuses this development,” she said.

“It won’t be the best thing for the proponent, and I accept that, but the reality is this is not the kind of development that should go on that site…placing as many townhouses as possible on that site to maximise the return is not in the best interests of this local community.”

Ms Higginson said the planning system was at a junction where we need to respond to the real-life threats to the community and our environment, now that our climate is changing.

“The reality here is that we’re talking about 200 or more members of our community that are among the most vulnerable, and we are considering whether we should pose an intolerable risk on their lives, their wellbeing, their homes, and the physical environment in which they live and that’s a real concern,” she said.

Ms Higginson said she will be immediately writing to NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully, and Clarence Valley Council, and informing her parliamentary inquiry committee of the plight of Grevillea Waters residents.

Grevillea Waters Residents Committee Focus Group GWRCFG spokesperson David Robinson thanked Ms Higginson for her helpful and informative discussion with the group.

He said Ms Higginson explained the new planning methodologies being developed to help Councils decide on whether or not to proceed with marginal flood plain developments – particularly when there was a high risk to life and property, but said councils were under pressure to address the state housing shortage.

“She was aware of a November 2023 Canberra Times article – in which Planning Minister Paul Scully had claimed to be considering scaling back high-risk flood plain developments in NSW (including in the Clarence Valley) – especially where there would be a risk to life in the case of a mass evacuation,” Mr Robinson said.

“Ms Higginson believes that Grevillea Waters Village deserved special consideration, given the age and medical condition of the many residents in the Village.”

Clarence Valley Independent, 24 April 2024:

It was standing room only at Yamba Golf and Country Club on Sunday as more than 250 Clarence Valley residents proactively engaged in a flood awareness and resilience meeting, leaving with vital knowledge to help them survive and conquer the next stormwater and Clarence River flood event.

The Yamba Community Action Network Yamba CAN Inc. and Valley Watch who hosted the meeting invited politicians, council’s GM, councillors, the SES, NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, and NSW Ambulance to attend.

Clarence Valley Deputy Mayor, Jeff Smith, Cr Greg Clancy, and potential council candidate, Cristie Yaeger attended.

Yamba CAN Chair Col Shephard opened the meeting, defining awareness and resilience before advising attendees to study two important clauses in the Clarence Valley Council Local Environmental Plan 2011, 521 relating to flood planning, and 522 about Special Flood Considerations.

Valley Watch Treasurer Graeme Granleese then spoke about the State Disaster Mitigation Plan, encouraging locals to have input to help create a Disaster Adaptation Plan for the area.

Keynote speaker, Greens MLC and chair of a current NSW parliamentary inquiry into the planning system and impacts of climate change on the environment and communities, Sue Higginson said the NSW planning system which was developed in the 1970s is archaic and “broken” and the inquiry aims to help reform the system.

She said after the 2022 floods both the Prime Minister and Premier both said we need to stop any further developments on floodplains.

“The system facilitates these developments

… it’s a planning system of the past,” she said.

“It often goes against the wishes of local people, with local knowledge.”

Ms Higginson commended Yamba CAN Inc. and Valley Watch for their proactive actions and advocacy in educating and informing the community about floods.

“You are the key to your future in developing your preparedness for the next flood event,” she said.

After an informative and graphic slideshow of images and videos of the 2022 flood, Yamba CAN Inc. executive member and long-term Yamba resident, Craigh McNeill, who has spent hundreds of hours researching councils new flood model, presented valuable information on flood awareness, how Yamba floods, Australian Height Datum AHD and how it is calculated.

According to council’s new flood model, Mr McNeill discovered in a 1 in 100-year flood most houses with a 2.5 metre floor level AHD between the Angourie Road roundabout to Oyster Channel, Yamba, would flood.

Mr McNeill said Lake Wooloweyah significantly impacts Yamba flood behaviour, in the 2022 flood the lake continued to fill for 28 hours after the flood peak at Yamba, and Oyster Channel holds back floodwater, exacerbating and extending effects on Yamba.

SES Community Capability Officer, Tracey Doherty clarified that Yamba Bowling Club isn’t the designated flood refuge for Yamba, and flood refuges are determined by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.

Mrs Doherty encouraged everyone to develop an Emergency Plan, have an Emergency Kit prepared, and to download and understand the Bureau of Meteorology, Hazards Near Me and Emergency Plus smartphone apps so they are prepared for the next event.

In the event of a flood, Mrs Doherty encouraged everyone to watch the Clarence Valley SES Facebook page for alerts, to listen to ABC radio 94.5 the official emergency broadcaster, and she advised people to have a location to evacuate to rather than relying on a designated flood refuge......

Ms Higginson said the event was a “remarkable” meeting, she was overwhelmed by how many people attended and the clear message that locals delivered was “we have got to stop development on the Yamba floodplain”.

“People want to be prepared for floods and they don’t feel they have the information they need to be prepared, so it was fantastic that the SES were here to start that conversation,” she said.

“What was clear, is that everyone in this room feels as though their council are letting them down at the moment.”......

Is the rental property or properties you own or manage capable of killing your tenants?

 

Are you on the board of a not-for-profit organisation that provides social or affordable rental housing? Do you have a residential property portfolio or do you just own a second home your rent out?

Then this post is written for you to consider.

Is the rental property or properties you own or manage capable of killing your tenants?

ACOSS Heat Study 2024, 1 March 2024, excerpt:

Hotter days and homes with poor energy performance create hot boxes that cannot be cooled

People variously described living in hot homes that they cannot cool as “awful”, “unliveable”, “miserable”, “unbearable”, “torture” and “a prison.”

Of the 1007 people who completed the survey, most (80.4%) said their home gets too hot in the summer.

Over half the people surveyed (56.7%) said they struggle to cool their home.

At a state and Territory level, more than half of people in Western Australia (67.2%), Queensland (66.1%), Australian Capital Territory (64.3%) and New South Wales (55.0%) said their home gets too hot and they struggle to cool it. Nearly half of the people surveyed in Victoria (45.8%), South Australia (45.7%) and the Northern Territory (45.5%) also had this experience. Tasmania was the only jurisdiction where all people surveyed said either their home was comfortable, or they are able to cool it when hot.

Some groups were more likely to struggle to cool their home:

• people renting in social housing (78.3%)

• people receiving income support (60.8%)

• people renting directly from a real estate agency (68.6%) or landlord (56.7%).

People in social or private rental properties have very limited control to make changes to their home to make it more energy efficient and resistant to extreme temperatures. They have limited control to install insulation, draft proofing, shading, fans or air conditioners, regardless of whether or not they can afford these changes. Of the 558 people living in social housing or private rental, most (69.7%) said they struggle to cool their home. [my yellow highlighting]

“I rent and there is no air con. Though I have fans, that can’t compete with high temps.

My apartment is north-west facing at top of the block.”

- Judith, New South Wales

People who indicated that they were in insecure housing (3%) also spoke of having limited control to cool their home when it gets too hot.

Healthy Futures, media release, 26 March 2024, excerpt:

Heat-related illnesses kill thousands of Australians every year (1) and roughly one-third of these deaths can be attributed to climate change (2,3). Heatwaves increase the risk of dehydration, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes. Older people, children, people with pre-existing health conditions and people unable to afford air conditioning are most vulnerable. [my yellow highlighting]

Currently, many social housing dwellings are poor quality and prone to temperature extremes (4-6). A 2023 survey of people on low incomes by the Australian Council of Social Services found that 94.5% avoided using air conditioning because it is too expensive (7). Solar panels can significantly reduce air conditioning costs, and while 30% of Australian homes now have rooftop solar, rooftop solar coverage on social housing in New South Wales, for example, is only 7% (8).

Energy efficiency retrofits and renewable-powered air conditioning will not only protect people from extreme temperatures and drive down costs of living; they will also mitigate climate change and its health impacts in the long term by reducing dependence on polluting fossil fuel-based electricity.

Nature Climate Change, 11, pages 492–500 (2021)

Published 31 May 2021:

The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change

A. M. Vicedo-Cabrera, N. Scovronick, F. Sera, D. Royé, R. Schneider, A. Tobias, C. Astrom, Y. Guo, Y. Honda, D. M. Hondula, R. Abrutzky, S. Tong, M. de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, P. H. Nascimento Saldiva, E. Lavigne, P. Matus Correa, N. Valdes Ortega, H. Kan, S. Osorio, J. Kyselý, A. Urban, H. Orru, E. Indermitte, J. J. K. Jaakkola, N. Ryti, M. Pascal, A. Schneider, K. Katsouyanni, E. Samoli, F. Mayvaneh, A. Entezari, P. Goodman, A. Zeka, P. Michelozzi, F. de’Donato, M. Hashizume, B. Alahmad, M. Hurtado Diaz, C. De La Cruz Valencia, A. Overcenco, D. Houthuijs, C. Ameling, S. Rao, F. Di Ruscio, G. Carrasco-Escobar, X. Seposo, S. Silva, J. Madureira, I. H. Holobaca, S. Fratianni, F. Acquaotta, H. Kim, W. Lee, C. Iniguez, B. Forsberg, M. S. Ragettli, Y. L. L. Guo, B. Y. Chen, S. Li, B. Armstrong, A. Aleman, A. Zanobetti, J. Schwartz, T. N. Dang, D. V. Dung, N. Gillett, A. Haines, M. Mengel, V. Huber & A. Gasparrini

Abstract

Climate change affects human health; however, there have been no large-scale, systematic efforts to quantify the heat-related human health impacts that have already occurred due to climate change. Here, we use empirical data from 732 locations in 43 countries to estimate the mortality burdens associated with the additional heat exposure that has resulted from recent human-induced warming, during the period 1991–2018. Across all study countries, we find that 37.0% (range 20.5–76.3%) of warm-season heat-related deaths can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change and that increased mortality is evident on every continent. Burdens varied geographically but were of the order of dozens to hundreds of deaths per year in many locations. Our findings support the urgent need for more ambitious mitigation and adaptation strategies to minimize the public health impacts of climate change. [my yellow highlighting]

The Lancet, Planetary Health, Volume 5, Issue 7, E415-E425

Article published July 2021, excerpts:

Global, regional, and national burden of mortality associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures from 2000 to 2019: a three-stage modelling study

Prof Qi Zhao, PhD Prof Yuming Guo, PhD Tingting Ye, MSc Prof Antonio Gasparrini, PhD Prof Shilu Tong, PhD Ala Overcenco, PhD Aleš Urban, PhD Alexandra Schneider, PhD Alireza Entezari, PhD Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, PhD Antonella Zanobetti, PhD Antonis Analitis, PhD Ariana Zeka, PhD Aurelio Tobias, PhD Baltazar Nunes, PhD Barrak Alahmad, MPH Prof Ben Armstrong, PhD Prof Bertil Forsberg, PhD Shih-Chun Pan, PhD Carmen Íñiguez, PhD Caroline Ameling, BS César De la Cruz Valencia, MSc Christofer Åström, PhD Danny Houthuijs, MSc Do Van Dung, PhD Dominic Royé, PhD Ene Indermitte, PhD Prof Eric Lavigne, PhD Fatemeh Mayvaneh, PhD Fiorella Acquaotta, PhD Francesca de'Donato, PhD Francesco Di Ruscio, PhD Francesco Sera, MSc Gabriel Carrasco-Escobar, MSc Prof Haidong Kan, PhD Hans Orru, PhD Prof Ho Kim, PhD Iulian-Horia Holobaca, PhD Jan Kyselý, PhD Joana Madureira, PhD Prof Joel Schwartz, PhD Prof Jouni J K Jaakkola, PhD Prof Klea Katsouyanni, PhD Prof Magali Hurtado Diaz, PhD Martina S Ragettli, PhD Prof Masahiro Hashizume, PhD Mathilde Pascal, PhD Micheline de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coélho, PhD Nicolás Valdés Ortega, MSc Niilo Ryti, PhD Noah Scovronick, PhD Paola Michelozzi, MSc Patricia Matus Correa, MSc Prof Patrick Goodman, PhD Prof Paulo Hilario Nascimento Saldiva, PhD Rosana Abrutzky, MSc Samuel Osorio, MSc Shilpa Rao, PhD Simona Fratianni, PhD Tran Ngoc Dang, PhD Valentina Colistro, MSc Veronika Huber, PhD Whanhee Lee, PhD Xerxes Seposo, PhD Prof Yasushi Honda, PhD Prof Yue Leon Guo, PhD Prof Michelle L Bell, PhD Shanshan Li, PhD

Introduction

Earth's average surface temperature has risen at a rate of 0·07°C per decade since 1880, a rate that has nearly tripled since the 1990s.1 The acceleration of global warming has resulted in 19 of the 20 hottest years occurring after 2000 and an unprecedented frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme temperature events, such as heatwaves, worldwide. Exposure to non-optimal temperatures has been associated with a range of adverse health outcomes (eg, excess mortality and morbidity from various causes).2, 3, 4, 5, 6 All populations over the world are under certain threats from non-optimal temperatures, regardless of their ethnicity, location, sex, age, and socioeconomic status. For example, in China, 14·3% of non-accidental mortality in 2013–15 might have been related to non-optimal temperatures, with 11·6% of deaths explainable by cold exposure and 2·7% explainable by heat exposure.7 In the USA, the risk of mortality increased by 5–12% due to cold exposure and 5–10% due to heat exposure between 2000 and 2006.8 An association between ambient temperature and mortality risk has also been reported in India, Australia, the EU, South Africa, and other countries and regions. 9, 10, 11  [my yellow highlighting]

Figure 1 Average daily mean temperatures of the 750 locations from the 43 countries or territories included in the analysis

The colours represent the different ranges of average daily mean temperature during the data collection periods shown in the appendix (p 4).

Daily minimum and maximum temperatures between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2019, were collected from the Global Daily Temperature dataset (grid size 0·5° × 0·5°) of the Climate Prediction Center. This dataset was developed, by use of a Shepard algorithm with observational data from 6000 to 7000 weather monitoring stations worldwide,15 as a benchmark for a range of reanalysis products and climate change models. Daily mean temperature was calculated by averaging daily minimum and maximum temperatures.

ScienceDirect

Energy and Buildings

Volume 272, 1 October 2022:

Integrated assessment of the extreme climatic conditions, thermal performance, vulnerability, and well-being in low-income housing in the subtropical climate of Australia

Shamila Haddad, Riccardo Paolini, Afroditi Synnefa, Lilian De Torres, Deo Prasad, Mattheos Santamouris

Abstract

Social housing stock worldwide can be characterised by poor indoor environmental quality and building thermal performance, which along with the increasing urban overheating put the low-income population at higher health risk. The dwellings’ thermal performance and the indoor environmental quality are often overlooked in the context of social housing compared to the general building stock in Australia. In the present study, the synergies between urban microclimate, indoor air temperature, housing characteristics and quality of life of residents have been investigated by employing subjective and objective assessment of indoor environmental quality in 106 low-income dwellings during the winter and summer of 2018–2019 in New South Wales. It further examines the impact of urban overheating and levels of income on indoor thermal conditions. The subjective method involved assessing the links between the type of housing in which low-income people live, energy bills, self-reported thermal sensation, health and well-being, and occupants’ behaviours. The results show that many dwellings operated outside the health and safety temperature limits for substantial periods. Indoor air temperatures reached 39.8 °C and the minimum temperature was about 5 °C. While the upper acceptability limit for indoor air temperature was 25.6 °C for 80 % satisfaction, periods of up to about 997 and 114 continuous hours above 26 °C and 32 °C were found in overheated buildings, respectively. Indoor overheating hours above 32 °C were recorded up to 238 % higher in Sydney’s western areas compared to eastern and inner suburbs. Similarly, residents in westerns suburbs and regions experience more outdoor overheating hours than those living near the eastern suburbs. This study highlights the interrelationships between ambient temperature, housing design, income, thermal comfort, energy use, and health and well-being in the context of social housing. The evidence of winter underheating and summer overheating suggests that improvements in building quality and urban heat mitigation are required to minimise the impacts of poor-performing housing and local climate. [my yellow highlighting]

Healthcare workers gathered outside Parliament to send the Federal Government a strong message that heat and climate change are harmful to health, and people need protection now

 

“As GPs, we know that increasing extremes of heat can have an impact on the health of the community – especially on the very young, and the very old. In primary care, we need to help our patients plan for heatwaves, which might include discussing staying cool, using air conditioning, or including this in chronic disease management plans, but we also need to advocate for broader interventions that can reduce climate change.” [Associate Professor Rowena Ivers, representing the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Healthy Futures media release, 26 March 2024]

IMAGE: @RACGPPresident

Health professionals gathered at 11am on Tuesday, 26 March 2024 outside Parliament House in Canberra to deliver an open letter signed by 25 organisations representing over 50,000 health professionals, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP), calling for funding commitments for rooftop solar on social housing to protect vulnerable people from the health impacts of extreme heat and climate change.

Led by Healthy Futures1, the letter warns that heat-related illnesses kill thousands of Australians every year.

The letter requests that the Federal government commit to installing rooftop solar on at least 30% of Australian social housing, to be completed by the end of 2026, provide access to affordable renewable electricity where rooftop solar is impractical and install reverse cycle air conditioning and implement other energy efficient retrofits to achieve safe temperatures in all social housing.

Key facts:

Heat-related illnesses kill thousands of Australians every year (1) by increasing heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and other health impacts.

Roughly one-third of heat-related deaths in Australia are attributable to climate change (2,3).

Many social housing dwellings are poor quality and prone to temperature extremes (3-5).

A 2023 survey of people on low incomes by the Australian Council of Social Services found that 94.5% avoided using air conditioning because it is too expensive (6). [Healthy Futures, media release, 26 March 2024]

Text of the Letter

To: the Hon Chris Bowen, Federal Minister for Climate Change & Energy

Cc: the Hon Jenny McAllister, Federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change & Energy

& the Hon Mark Butler, Federal Minister for Health & Aged Care

& the Hon Jim Chalmers, Federal Treasurer

& the Hon Julie Collins, Federal Minister for Housing

& the Hon Amanda Rishworth, Federal Minister for Families and Social Services

Dear Minister Bowen,

As healthcare workers and community members, we request that the Australian government protect people in social housing from the increasing health impacts of climate change by ensuring that their homes are kept at safe temperatures through building retrofits and affordable, renewable-powered air conditioning.

Heat-related illnesses kill thousands of Australians every year (1) and roughly one-third of these deaths can be attributed to climate change (2,3). Heatwaves increase the risk of dehydration, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes. Older people, children, people with pre-existing health conditions and people unable to afford air conditioning are most vulnerable.

Currently, many social housing dwellings are poor quality and prone to temperature extremes (4-6). A 2023 survey of people on low incomes by the Australian Council of Social Services found that 94.5% avoided using air conditioning because it is too expensive (7). Solar panels can significantly reduce air conditioning costs, and while 30% of Australian homes now have rooftop solar, rooftop solar coverage on social housing in New South Wales, for example, is only 7% (8).

Energy efficiency retrofits and renewable-powered air conditioning will not only protect people from extreme temperatures and drive down costs of living; they will also mitigate climate change and its health impacts in the long term by reducing dependence on polluting fossil fuel-based electricity.

We therefore request that as part of the next federal budget you commit funding to:

• Roll out rooftop solar on at least 30% of Australian social housing, to be completed by the end of 2026

• Ensure access to affordable renewable electricity for social housing where rooftop solar is impractical, e.g. via power purchasing agreements and/or battery storage

• Install reverse cycle air conditioning and implement other energy efficient retrofits to achieve safe temperatures in all social housing.

Sincerely,

Signed by 25 organisations representing over 50,000 health professionals, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP)

References:

[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00081-4/fulltext

[2]

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/climate-change-blamed-for-more-than-a-third-of-heat-related-deaths-20210531-p57wpy.html

[3]

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01058-x

[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778822005205?via%3Dihub

[5] https://www.malleefamilycare.org.au/MFCSite/media/PDFDocuments/PublicHousing/2019/MalleeFamilyCare_PublicHousing_Report_2019.pdf

[6]

https://www.shelterwa.org.au/stuck-in-the-heat/

[7]

https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Heat-Survey-Report_20230228.pdf

[8]

https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/576436/environmental-sustainability-strategy-2024-2026.pdf

“Extreme heat can trigger heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes and even death,” said Ursula Alquier, Healthy Futures Campaigner. “We want to see a commitment to ensure people living in social housing are able to live in safe and healthy homes”

“As healthcare workers, we are concerned about the health of our patients and our climate. People in social housing need energy-efficient homes with cheap renewable-powered air conditioning to protect their health” said Dr Harry Jennens, general practitioner and Healthy Futures Co-ordinator. [Healthy Futures, media release, 26 March 2024]

IMAGE: @RACGPPresident

NOTES

1. Healthy Futures is an affiliate of Friends of the Earth Australia and a member of the Climate and Health Alliance.