Acting on climate will improve the health of those we love
Carbon pollution and rising temperature are the number one health threat
- Each year the Lancet confirms the widely held finding that global heating caused by fossil fuel combustion is the number one threat to global health
- Global heating is increasing the frequency of natural disasters – floods, bushfires and heatwaves, with severe consequences for the health of communities
- Doctors for the Environment Australia is asking us to put our health first when we vote – selecting candidates with strong climate policies will also improve our health.
Putting our health first is the same as putting the climate first
Points to consider
Communities need protection from heat waves
Keeping us cool is good for our physical and mental health
- Heat stress is a major cause of stress in Australia, it’s important to know the signs of heatstroke
- Working outside during heat waves contributes to a rise in kidney disease
- Urban heat is associated with lower life expectancies
- Shade from trees or better urban design contributes to better health
Going electric improves air quality
Moving away from gas to electric appliances reduces respiratory and other diseases
- A child living with gas cooking has a 42% higher chance of getting asthma
- Gas cooking is proven to cause 12% of childhood asthma
- Indoor pollution from burning gas includes chemical that hurt our cardiac, neurological and respiratory systems, including formaldehyde, NO2, and the BTEX group.
- Shifting to electric heating and cooling reduces emissions and lower energy bills
Smart urban design improves our health
Taking back out street for walking cycling is good for our health and strengthens communities
15 minutes cities, walkable neighbourhoods, and better cycling and public transport infrastructure improves connectivity and our health.
Eating for the climate
Eating a plant-rich or plant based diet is good for emissions and our health
Increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seed gives you a diet with high nutrient density and more fibre, which is improves gut health and reduces disease.
- Plant rich diets reduce emissions
- Eating locally increases nutrient density and reduces transport emissions
- Processed foods and convenience foods are associated with poor health outcomes and higher emissions than unprocessed foods.
Mental health
Real action on climate is urgently needed, and will restore our children’s hope
- Our children are worried about climate and have increased mental illness associated with climate despair
- Involving communities in climate action helps protect against mental illness
- Climate disasters such as floods, fires and heat stress events are associated with increased domestic violence and suicides as well as death and disease – acting on climate protects our mental as well as physical health
Climate disasters hurt our health
Collective investment in disaster response and strengthening infrastructure will is needed to protect our communities
- The bushfire seasons are now overlapping, and are fiercer and longer, so we need to invest in better capacity
- After major flooding events, people may live in temporary accomdation, even condemned homes with increased levels of moulds and toxins
- Recovery and rehousing may take a very long time
- Health infrastructure planning will need to be responsive to rising temperatures and increased frequencies of disaster events
Health is the most important thing we have got
Let’s put our health, and the health of our families and our communities first and act on climate
Our climate is getting hotter, with increased bushfires, floods and heat events.
This is causing more heart attacks, cancers, asthma, infectious diseases, kidney disease and mental illness according to Doctors for the Environment, who ask us to put our health first in deciding our vote.
Pollution from burning fossil fuels is trapping heat making our world hotter and more unstable. This is hurting the people and places we love and is destroying our way of life.
We can act. As individuals, as communities, but right now as voters.
Let’s put our health and our climate first.
A problem – our politicians are still approving new coal and gas
Even though Australia has world leading solar and wind resources, and massive potential for renewables-led exports, our government still is promoting gas expansion. Currently, including exports, Australia contributes a whopping 4.5% of global emissions, continuing to damage our climate.
- Accelerating climate action would set Australia up to be a clean energy superpower, transforming manufacturing and exports.
- Australia is vulnerable to increasing climate damage from fires, droughts and floods, according to the latest State of the Climate CSIRO report.
Moving to clean energy will lower costs, increase our resilience, and protect our future.
Further Information
Lighter Footprints information
Going electric and energy efficiency
- Entertaining short video on electrification with home energy expert Tim Forcey
- Home energy assessments – summary blog
- Insulation and draught proofing – informative video highlights
- Health benefits of getting off gas – Dr Genevieve Cowie video highlights
Energy
- We can do this! Richard Denniss, The Australia Institute, gives us a rousing call to move faster towards clean energy.
- Delaying renewables and expanding fossil exports – more details on nuclear and CCS here.
Authorised by Lighter Footprints Inc, Register No A0095302A, 12 Segtoune St, Kew, Victoria
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