Reducing carbon can improve health
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) has called for the introduction of comprehensive policies to address climate change following the release of a series of six papers in The Lancet demonstrating that policies to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions can substantially improve health at the same time.
“The evidence that health and society will be substantially improved by efforts to combat climate change is becoming compelling” said Professor Robyn McDermott, RACP spokesperson on Climate Change.
“These papers add important knowledge to the science.”
An international team of researchers led by professor Andrew Haines from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and professor Tony McMichael from Australian National University, produced the series of papers.
Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, commented in the same issue, “...the real bottom line of climate change is its risk to human health and quality of life… cutting greenhouse gas emissions can represent a mutually reinforcing opportunity to reduce climate change and improve public health.”
The expert groups explored detailed case studies, which focused on a range of sectors where significant greenhouse gas reductions could be achieved. These included household energy use, urban land transport, electricity generation, food and agriculture.
“Physicians around the world are mobilising in support of urgent action on climate change, because of the public health benefits that early and effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can bring,” said Professor McDermott.
The key actions that should be taken rapidly for both health benefits and climate change mitigation include:
- Increasing active travel such as walking and cycling, and reducing use of motor vehicles
- Decreasing carbon-based electricity generation in favour of clean renewable energy sources
- Promoting less consumption of meat products in favour of increased vegetable intake.
Reducing meat consumption would decrease the amount of saturated fat consumed, which could reduce rates of heart disease as well as reducing methane and other greenhouse gases. Cutting emissions through walking and cycling and reducing use of motor vehicles would bring health benefits including reduced heart disease, cancer, depression and dementia. Decreasing the proportion of carbon-based electricity generation would reduce deaths from heart and lung disease by reducing pollution from particles and air toxics.
“Australia should think strongly about the whole range of measures that are available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Health-enhancing measures are within reach, but need to be supported by strong policies. The RACP urges the federal and state governments to introduce comprehensive policies above and beyond an emissions trading scheme.”
Reducing carbon is indeed very important, but now can not control the world’s carbon emissions, we need more attention to this issue.