If the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet, according to ​Health care’s climate footprint: How the health sector contributes to the global climate crisis and opportunities for action​, a new report by Health Care Without Harm in collaboration with Arup.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Greening the Healthcare Sector Forum 2019 on 23 and 24 September! 

Access resources from the Forum here

Health leaders, including Nobel Laureate for Medicine, Professor Peter Doherty say climate change is a health emergency. The message from the health and medical community in Australia is: this election, vote for a candidate, and a political party that is committed to climate action. Our health depends on it.

Dear Friends,

Climate action is a long game. 

As we digest the news of the election result, I want to write and say thank-you to our amazing supporters, members, partners, and allies who have helped support CAHA’s work to highlight the links between health and climate change - and propose solutions to respond.

The Climate and Health Alliance today will launch their 2019 federal election campaign with a call for action on the health emergency caused by climate change.

The Climate and Health Alliance has welcomed the commitment from the Australian Greens to implement a plan to tackle the health effects of climate change based on the National Strategy on Climate, Health and Wellbeing and commit $2 million over the forward estimates to this.

As part of the ALP Climate Policy Package, Shadow Minister for Climate Change Mark Butler and Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King announced the ALP commitment that a Shorten Labor Government will develop Australia’s first National Strategy on Climate Change and Health.

The Climate and Health Alliance was pleased to recently host Dr. Trevor Hancock with his presentation on 'Creating one planet communities'. 

Dr Hancock discussed the challenge we face as a species - to reduce our ecological footprint to Earth’s ‘biocapacity’, while maintaining a high quality of life and good health for all.

Are you a leader in environmental sustainability in health?

Have you led projects to build sustainability in your workplace?

Do you have research or practical information to share with the health sector?

You are invited to submit an abstract to present at the 2019 Health Sustainability Forum.

On Friday 15 March, CAHA was proud to march in solidarity with students striking across the globe, demanding action on climate change. 

Inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, students walked out in over 100 countries, with over 150,000 students striking in Australia alone. CAHA staff, directors, members and supporters joined the throngs of students across Australia, in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Cairns and Wollongong. 

We are excited to announce that registration for our Climate Health Champions workshops in Cairns and Townsville are now open! Places are limited, register now to avoid missing out. 

Secure your spot for Cairns here and Townsville here.

All over Australia, health professionals are increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change on health and well being. Many are joining the Our Climate Our Health campaign to support action on climate change to protect their community's health. 

COP24 is the most important climate conference since world leaders signed on to the landmark Paris Agreement (2015) on climate change. International assemblies like these are always frenetic, with thousands of attendees, hundreds of sideshows and lots of backroom negotiations. I wanted to provide you with some insights into what’s been happening, as negotiations are now close to wrapping up.

Associate Professor Linda Selvey, President and Chair, Australian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, is in Katowice, Poland for the UNFCCC global climate talks. Here she shares some insights on the tensions at play at the global climate talks in Poland.

CAHA’s new Climate Health Champions graduated with flying colours from their one-day workshop in Brisbane in
November 2018. The workshop was the result of a collaboration between the Climate and Health Alliance and the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union (QNMU) to find, train and organise health sector professionals on climate-health issues. 18 people participated in the workshop which included presentations from QNMU, the Climate Media Centre and the Repower Campaign.

The climate change and health report, Lancet Countdown was released globally Thursday morning. The 2018 report is the result of 12 months of hard work from over 100 academics representing 27 academic institutions and UN agencies, across every continent. The report tracks 41 indicators across five domains in health and climate change. The full report can be viewed here and a short video summarising the key findings can be viewed here.

Sydney launch of the Lancet Countdown:

Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change is an international research collaboration, dedicated to tracking the world's response to climate change, and the health benefits that emerge from this transition. Reporting annually in The Lancet, it will follow a series of indicators, demonstrating that this transition is possible, that it has already begun, but that more work is needed.

On the 8th December, the World Health Organisation, Global Climate and Health Alliance, European Committee of the Regions, and Pro Silesia Association will host the 2018 Global Climate and Health Summit in Katowice, Poland. This half day summit will run alongside the UNFCCC Conference of Parties and will be an opportunity to advance health-focused action, engagement, and collaboration to address climate change.

Canberra launch of the Lancet Countdown:

Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change is an international research collaboration, dedicated to tracking the world's response to climate change, and the health benefits that emerge from this transition. Reporting annually in The Lancet, it will follow a series of indicators, demonstrating that this transition is possible, that it has already begun, but that more work is needed.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has released a report “The Dirty Truth”, mapping Australia’s pollution by postcode. This report, based off industry-reported emissions data in National Pollutant Inventory, reveals that air pollution in Australia is “both a class and climate issue,” with 90% of polluting facilities in low to middle income suburbs.

Read the full report online now.