UKHSA publishes report on health effects of climate change

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a report on the health effects of climate change in the UK.

This is the fourth edition of the report, which provides evidence, analysis and recommendations based on climate change projections for the UK.

The foreword to the report, Professor Isabel Oliver, chief scientific officer, UKHSA states that: "Our changing climate poses one of the greatest health security and societal challenges, impacting everything from the air we breathe to the quality and availability of our food and water.

"Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of environmental health threats like flooding and heatwaves and is creating conditions which heighten the risks from infectious diseases"

The report states that the climate crisis is a health crisis and the climate change affects most health determinants directly or indirectly by influencing the weather
conditions.

It found that climate change can increase risks to health directly through greater severity and frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding, drought, heatwaves or wildfires.

Heatwaves can increase burden on health and care services, increase strain on water,
energy and transportation infrastructure and can have implications such as crop loss and reduced air quality that can also impact health.

Professor Oliver continued: "Climate change is now the context in which we will need to protect health from environmental hazards and infectious diseases and will determine future risks to health including new challenges such as wildfires and droughts and growing problems such as antimicrobial resistance or future pandemics.

"And we must understand that whilst everyone will be at some risk from adverse health impacts from climate change, the impacts will vary at individual level and the most disadvantaged both here in the UK and around the world will be disproportionately affected.

"While we are already experiencing some of these impacts, it is very important to understand that many of the anticipated adverse health impacts of climate change in the UK are still avoidable through mitigation and adaptation and that there are other benefits to health to be gained, therefore rapid action is critical to avoid the most severe potential scenarios outlined in this report and realise other benefits to health from mitigation and adaptation measures."