Abstract
Climate change is one of the best-recognised global threats to human health and wellbeing. In this Briefing we outline the major pathways linking climate and health and comment briefly on current national policies. We recommend community-led, intersectoral actions both to mitigate climate change through reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the health impacts that can no longer be avoided.
Immediate, direct, observed impacts of extreme climate events on mortality and morbidity are increasingly attributable to climate change. Indirect impacts on health via altered distribution of infectious diseases and malnutrition are also important, but have complex non-climate causes. More indirectly still, climate change is leading to loss of livelihoods, migration and mental health problems via socio-economic mechanisms.
The current Government's policies are inadequate to address climate change risks. Policy solutions to health problems caused by climate change lie largely outside health care. The required transformational changes in agriculture, housing, energy and transportation systems are being resisted by industry interests in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.