Climate change is here – and it’s already affecting our health
It has been described by the World Health Organisation as the biggest health threat of the 21st century and has already been experienced by 51% of Victorians.
Victorians’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and experiences on the health effects of climate change have been benchmarked in Sustainability Victoria’s latest State of Sustainability report, which provides insight into the sustainability mindset of the Victorian community.
Thirty-eight percent of Victorians have experienced an increase in pollen related allergies, 15% have been affected by thunderstorm asthma, and 12% have struggled with lung complaints from worsening air pollution and bushfire smoke.
The changing weather patterns driven by climate change will affect our health in many ways, from heatwaves, floods, and bush fires, to increasing air pollution, changes in the spread of infectious disease, and threats to food availability and clean water.
Heat – Australia’s deadliest weather
Heat stress from extreme heatwaves has been felt by 12% of Victorians, according to the report.
Remy Shergill from the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) says that the health effects from heatwaves are particularly risky because people don't necessarily think of heat as dangerous.
“Extreme heat is Australia's deadliest weather type, and it's often the silent killer,” said Remy.
Heat can cause serious and potentially fatal health problems such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and can trigger sudden events like heart attack or stroke or can worsen existing medical conditions like kidney or lung disease.
Certain people are more at-risk, including people over the age of 65, babies and young children, pregnant women, people with acute or chronic health problems and people who are socially isolated. “We know that outdoor workers are very at risk during extreme heat,” adds Remy.
Extreme heat is a common reason for outdoor workers to visit GPs, and in the future, industries such as construction will need to review OH&S guidelines to make sure that it's appropriate in a climate change world, said Remy.
Mental health a growing concern
Mental health topped the list of worsening health conditions, even ahead of heat stress or heatstroke and harm from bushfire. The report found that Victorians believe mental health illness linked to climate change will become more common in the future – as do medical professionals.
When thinking about climate change, over one-third of Victorians feel fear (38%), confusion (37%), grief (32%), and guilt (33%) at a moderate to overwhelming level, while slightly higher proportions feel outrage (42%) and powerlessness/despair (40%).
‘Strong’ or ‘overwhelming’ emotions in relation to climate change are significantly more likely to be experienced by younger respondents, with substantial proportions reporting strong or over-whelming feelings of guilt (33%), fear (28%), outrage (28%) and powerlessness (26%). These emotions are also felt by other Victorians, although not at the same level of intensity.
'I think this is one of the things that we have to really look out for,” said Remy. “I think [these figures on mental health] are actually the tip of the iceberg, and as younger and younger people start being surveyed, I think that is an area where we could see a lot of increase.'
Information can save lives
The research found 50% of Victorians are not aware that the risk of getting heat stress or heatstroke is likely to increase as summer temperatures get more extreme.
This disconnect between health professionals’ relatively high understanding of the health impacts of climate change and a lack of knowledge from the general public was a key finding in the State of Sustainability report.
In January 2009, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer reported that there were an estimated 374 excess deaths in Victoria during the heatwave, with an estimated 167 excess deaths during the 2014 heatwave.
Dianna McDonald, Social Research Lead for the SV Lab at Sustainability Victoria, said this lack of awareness will likely translate to a lack of preparedness and protective behaviours, reducing our overall climate resilience.
'If people are aware of the conditions that are going to become more common, they will be in a better place to be able to prepare themselves and to protect themselves, and that contributes to overall community resilience.'
Health professionals play a key role in education
Remy believes that many health professionals are keen to address the health risks of climate change with their patients and shrink the knowledge gap.
1They believe that the health sector has a significant role to play in talking about climate change, but they feel insufficiently informed to talk to their patients or clients or communities. And that is their largest barrier to taking action,' said Remy.
Remy also believes the healthcare sector will need to increase their preparations for what lies ahead.
'We know from COVID that our health sector isn't necessarily set up to deal with the surge that can happen. Climate change operates in a similar way in that a lot of the time demand will come during surge events during heat waves, during bushfires, at intense times.'
Opportunity in the data
Remy from CAHA believes the findings from the State of Sustainability report sheds light on gaps in knowledge and creates a “real, obvious case that not enough is being done to make sure that people are fully prepared for what is possible and what the threats are to their health.”
'I was really excited to see that 80% of Victorians are interested in more information about the health impacts of climate change and one-fifth of Victorians are searching for this information – and this increases to over one-third amongst young people,' said Remy. 'This is an area that more and more people are becoming aware of and have an appetite to learn.'