The Intersection of Health and Climate

Climate change has been described as the greatest global health threat of the twenty-first century. It can negatively impact health in many ways: both directly by increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods, but also indirectly by changing the distribution of infectious diseases or negatively affecting physical and mental health. Healthcare systems need to play an essential role responding to the health threats of climate change, but healthcare itself is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and in Australia is responsible for 7% of total emissions. Healthcare systems are therefore increasingly needing to reduce their carbon footprint while not compromising patient care. Depending on the student’s interests, this Honours project will involve identification of a significant contemporary issue related to climate and health. Possible examples include: • assessing the attitudes of current FMNHS students on health and climate change issues and on improving sustainability initiatives in healthcare • collating evidence to identify a current practice within healthcare systems that could be improved to reduce carbon emissions • reviewing the literature on a specific health issue related to climate, such as the change in distribution of (a specific) vector-borne disease(s) in Australia