Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Restricted accessArticles

Global health and climate change: moving from denial and catastrophic fatalism to positive action

Anthony Costello

Anthony Costello

Institute for Global Health, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK

[email protected]

Google Scholar

Find this author on PubMed

,
Mark Maslin

Mark Maslin

Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK

Google Scholar

Find this author on PubMed

,
Hugh Montgomery

Hugh Montgomery

Institute for Human Health and Performance, University College London, 5 University Street, London WC1E 6JF, UK

Google Scholar

Find this author on PubMed

,
Anne M. Johnson

Anne M. Johnson

Institute for Global Health, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK

Google Scholar

Find this author on PubMed

and
Paul Ekins

Paul Ekins

Energy Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK

Google Scholar

Find this author on PubMed

    The health effects of climate change have had relatively little attention from climate scientists and governments. Climate change will be a major threat to population health in the current century through its potential effects on communicable disease, heat stress, food and water security, extreme weather events, vulnerable shelter and population migration. This paper addresses three health-sector strategies to manage the health effects of climate change—promotion of mitigation, tackling the pathways that lead to ill-health and strengthening health systems. Mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is affordable, and low-carbon technologies are available now or will be in the near future. Pathways to ill-health can be managed through better information, poverty reduction, technological innovation, social and cultural change and greater coordination of national and international institutions. Strengthening health systems requires increased investment in order to provide effective public health responses to climate-induced threats to health, equitable treatment of illness, promotion of low-carbon lifestyles and renewable energy solutions within health facilities. Mitigation and adaptation strategies will produce substantial benefits for health, such as reductions in obesity and heart disease, diabetes, stress and depression, pneumonia and asthma, as well as potential cost savings within the health sector. The case for mitigating climate change by reducing GHGs is overwhelming. The need to build population resilience to the global health threat from already unavoidable climate change is real and urgent. Action must not be delayed by contrarians, nor by catastrophic fatalists who say it is all too late.

    References