Double Crisis - Climate Change and Health
The World Health Organization has described climate change as “the single biggest health threat facing humanity”.
To raise awareness of this pressing issue, Cancer Council Victoria’s Sustainability Committee hosted its first-ever Lunch & Learn on Climate Change and Health on 29 October 2024.
The session, chaired by Suzanne Zhou (Prevention Manager at the McCabe Centre), brought together a multidisciplinary panel to discuss Cancer Council Victoria’s diverse work in the area.
Anasha Flintoff (Legal Research Officer at the McCabe Centre) highlighted the link between climate change and air pollution, the leading environmental cause of preventable disease and death and a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases.
She also discussed how climate change-induced extreme weather events can weaken healthcare systems and worsen existing health disparities and highlighted some of the global governance initiatives seeking to address this.
Emily Falduto (Program Officer at the Achievement Program) presented on the Achievement Program’s Climate and Health pathway, which provides a guide to support early childhood services, schools and workplaces in taking climate actions that are also a co-benefit for health. This aligns with the Achievement Program framework which helps coordinate a whole of setting approach to promoting health and wellbeing across multiple health priority areas.
Since its launch, the pathway has inspired around 80 organisations to take climate and health action, including increasing active travel and teaching students about planting, growing and cooking fresh produce.
And Justine Osborne (SunSmart Advocacy and Policy Manager) shared insights on SunSmart’s strategic goal to improve policies and environments to reduce UV exposure and related UV harms and how this aligns to climate change and health initiatives. She highlighted the opportunity to integrate UV protection into local government plans by linking it to existing priorities like climate change, urban greening and shade.
The session ended with an invitation to collaborate with others working in the area as by working together and drawing on skills from different fields, so we can address the double crises of climate change and health more effectively.