Action to cut the health impact of climate change must be taken at all levels, according to a new analysis.
Writing in the journal PLoS Medicine, Dr Maria Nilsson of Umea University, Sweden, and colleagues say that top-down action on health and climate at the UN level needs to be mirrored by bottom-up public health actions.
There is a great deal of evidence from many sectors showing the vast health impacts of climate change, they report, especially for the most vulnerable – the poorest, the youngest, and the oldest. Human health and climate change are closely connected, and its impact on health could be at least as wide-ranging as that of tobacco, they add.
They write: "It is becoming increasingly clear that maintaining a sustainable and healthy climate is something that can only be achieved by means of a concerted global effort, including large-scale and small-scale actions, in which the public health community must play an active part."
At present though, there is a lack of coherence on public health messages about climate aimed at populations in general, they believe. For example, people should be encouraged to walk and cycle, and to eat locally produced foods.
But individuals cannot limit their carbon footprint independently of the society in which they live, so government action is equally important, say the authors. Governments should create legislation, regulations, and other reforms aiming to address climate and environmental concerns, they state.
The authors conclude: "Thin ice is an increasing reality in the Arctic, as well as a metaphor for impending disaster.
"We hope that the continuing United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process will lead to an improving global prognosis – to which the public health community must contribute by effectively promoting health and climate co-benefits."
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