Health
Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. As the NHS said “the climate emergency is a health emergency. Climate change threatens the foundations of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for our patients, the public and the NHS” .
Climate change, health and nature can’t be disentangled. Action that affects one effects the others - they are twined together.
Reducing the impacts of climate change will reduce the risks to health: extreme weather leading to flooding, overheating, drought, wind, and wildfire; the spread of insect-borne diseases; food insecurity from crops failing because of weather and pests.
Access to nature has measurable effects on the physical and mental health of populations.
Fear of the future fuels mental ill-health. Taking action - claiming agency - helps people feel better.
Reducing the impacts of climate change will reduce the impact on the economy from days lost from employment because of ill-health.
Changes that reduce climate change and increase access to nature are changes that will be good for health. These include:
- More green spaces and trees on streets will naturally absorb carbon, alleviate flood risk, improve air quality, provide shade, and can be used to calm traffic.
- Improved home insulation will help people keep warm and reduce ill-health associated with cold and damp. It will also help people keep cooler, reducing the health impact of overheating and up to 11,000 deaths a year.
- More active travel will increase physical activity leading to longer lives, healthier old age, reduced obesity leading to fewer musculo-skeletal problems, diabetes and early death. It leads to improved air quality, fewer carbon emissions and better mental health.
- Fewer motor vehicles reduces the air pollution which now causes 38,000 early deaths a year, as well as chronic ill-health. So will the shift from gas and oil to electricity for heating and cooking in our homes.
- Eating local fresh food with plenty of vegetables is good for health as well as reducing the climate impact of our diets. And it means more money retained in the region, more jobs, and better food security
We call on all politicians on the Hampshire and the Solent Combined Authroty Board and the incoming Mayor to:
- Recognise the multiple health benefits of meeting our legally binding targets to address the climate and nature crises
- Make sure that “health in all policies” includes checking for impacts on the climate and nature that in turn impact on health, both physical and mental.