Image (CC BY-NC 2.0) Free to Breathe / Flickr
Whether it’s direct or indirect, climate change will have an impact on public health. A recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the New Economics Foundation reviews current local strategies by public health institutions to address climate change. In considering “how shifting public health from primary care trusts to local authorities has affected efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change in areas vulnerable to climate hazards”, it explores barriers and opportunities for action, and identifies recommendations for local and national policy and practice.
The report comes to the conclusion that although many health departments were taking climate action, this was often initiated by individuals, rather than being strategy-driven. Also, local authority budgetary cuts and the long-term nature of climate change mean that climate change is seldom regarded as a priority.
Read the full report on the JRF website.
