Government Claims UK Prepared For Health Effects Of Climate Change

The UK will be better able to prepare for the possible impact of climate change on public health, thanks to new research.

An updated report of Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK has been published which estimates the possible impacts of climate change on health. This will help the health sector effectively plan development of services to meet the needs of the population both now and in the future, and also highlights areas where more research is needed.

The main findings of the report include:

* There is a one in 40 chance that by 2012 South Eastern England will have experienced a serious heatwave.

* Periods of very cold weather will become less common - while periods of very hot weather will become more common.

* Winter deaths will continue to decline as the climate warms.

* Flooding is an increasing risk.

* Tick-borne diseases are likely to become more common in the UK, but this is more likely to be due to change in land use and leisure activities than to climate change.

* Increased exposure to sunshine and ultra violet light will lead to an increase in skin cancers.

The UK population seems to be adapting to increasingly warm conditions.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said:

"Climate change poses great challenges and it is important to plan ahead for the health consequences. Actions are being taken across the UK Government and the NHS to reduce emissions contributing to climate change. We are at the forefront of preparing for climate change - the UK's Climate Change Bill is the first legislation of its kind in the world, establishing a long term legal framework to underpin our contribution to tackling climate change, by putting in place a clear and credible emissions reduction pathway to a statutory goal of a 60 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

Mandatory targets for energy efficiency for the public sector are being set and work is continuing across the NHS at a regional and local level to mitigate the projected impacts of climate change.

In January we announced a £100m Energy and Sustainability Capital Fund to assist the NHS to meet the target of 15 per cent or 0.15 million tonnes carbon efficiency saving between 2000 and 2010.

One of the effects of climate change already encountered in this country is the increased frequency of heatwaves. The devastating heatwave across Europe in 2003 led to us launching the National Heatwave Plan in 2004, in which a Heat-Health Watch system operates in England during the summer months, with four levels of response and appropriate advice.

Work is being encouraged at a regional and local level to deal with the possible health effects of climate change. Key areas include adapting the health and social care infrastructure to be more resilient to the effects of heat, gales and floods, and developing local plans to cope with disasters. We are increasing awareness of how people can adapt to changes in climate.

Let's not forget that society also has a role to play - we can all do our bit to help the environment through consumer choice, reducing carbon footprints and recycling waste."

One of the authors of the report, Professor Robert Maynard from the Health Protection Agency, said;

"The present scientific consensus is that the climate is changing and that human activity is contributing significantly to this. We have to prepare for the consequences and consider the possible health impacts. Some aspects are positive, for example there are likely to be fewer deaths due to cold weather, but others are potentially negative, including increases in food poisoning and dangers from both floods and droughts."

Environment Minister Ian Pearson said;

"This report underlines the potential impact of climate change on human health. Earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change delivered a report which showed that there would be a major threat to health around the globe. And it's not a threat that's exclusive to the developing world. The European heat wave of 2003 shows that developed countries are also vulnerable to climate change. We need to take this threat seriously and start to adapt now to safeguard our future health."

Source: GNN