Ruth Fleming of Belfast Healthy Cities with Dr Elizabeth Mitchell and Nigel McMahon of the DHSSP
Belfast Healthy Cities today launched the Northern Ireland Climate Change and Health Group, to coincide with the first day of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The new group will focus on how climate change will affect health and inequalities in health and aims to raise awareness and build healthcare sector capacity on this issue.
Belfast Healthy Cities worked in partnership with the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) to establish the Climate Change and Health Group. Potential health impacts of climate change include an increase in skin cancer and food poisoning with rising temperatures and more time spent outdoors. There may also be impacts arising from more frequent severe weather events such as flooding. Global trends may also impact locally with potential threats to food security and possible increases in fuel poverty with rising food and fuel costs.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that “climate change will be the defining issue for health systems in the 21st century. Health professionals have the knowledge, cultural authority and responsibility to protect health from climate change” (WHO, 2008).
Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities, which is a leading member of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, said:
“It is very fitting that we are launching the NI Climate Change & Heath Group on the first day of Copenhagen summit, as it helps highlight that climate change is a major health risk, especially to those already most vulnerable in society. We must develop the skills and capacity to deal with the health effects of climate change and this group is well placed to lead on this urgent task. Tackling climate change now can have the double benefit of improving health. Limiting emissions of greenhouse gases, the main issue on the agenda of the Copenhagen summit, is a crucial element in reducing climate change and would have a huge impact on improving health.”
Dr Elizabeth Mitchell, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, DHSSPS and chair of the Climate Change and Health Group, said:
“I would like to reiterate the support of the Department for this initiative. It is imperative that we consider, develop and implement effective strategies to minimise any predicted impacts of climate change in terms health and well-being in our communities. I congratulate the wide range of health professionals from across health and local government who have given commitment to this work and thank Belfast Healthy Cities for helping to initiate the debate within the wider public health family.”
The main roles of the new Climate Change & Health Group are:
1) To collaboratively support the health sector to provide regional and local leadership for health and sustainable development, contributing positively to reducing the impacts of climate change through mitigation and adaptation measures
2) To raise awareness and increase understanding amongst health and social care organisations and the wider public health family of the short and long term impacts of climate change on population health and health equity
3) To actively seek to maximize synergies between the climate change and health improvement agendas
4) To strengthen current mechanisms, knowledge on evidence and tools, locally and regionally to promote action to redress the health and health equity impacts of climate change
Senior representatives of Belfast Healthy Cities are in Copenhagen this week for a series of European Healthy Cities Network meetings.
