Scientists study potential health impacts of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Thursday 14 May 2009
The results of the study will inform the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December this year.
The study will be led by Professor Sir Andrew Haines from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the keynote speaker at the meeting of Commonwealth Health Ministers in Geneva on Sunday 17 May 2009.
Much of the climate change debate has focused on the environmental impacts, but it is also likely to affect the health of millions of people. The relationship between health and climate change will be the focus of the Geneva meeting. Threats include heatwaves and flooding; changing patterns of infectious diseases, such as malaria and dengue; and the risk that hundreds of thousands of people will be displaced by water scarcity and rising sea levels. The impacts will be greatest in developing countries.
However, mitigation strategies - policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change - could also have positive implications for health. For example, encouraging people to walk rather than take the car could make populations more physically active, reducing obesity while also cutting urban pollution and road traffic accidents. Similarly, moving to greener fuels could reduce outdoor air pollution, thereby improving public health.
Now, an international team, led by the LSHTM, will model the impacts of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in both developed and developing countries. These will focus on four key sectors: energy, transport, the built environment, and food and agriculture.
The expert groups will explore more detailed case studies. These will include examples relating to domestic energy-saving measures in the UK; household fuel use in India; power generation; urban transport changes and initiatives to reduce the use of cars; and the impact of changing agricultural practices and reducing meat consumption to reduce livestock emissions
The £405 000 study is being funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Royal College of Physicians, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Department of Health, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
"Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential if we are to help tackle climate change, but we need to better understand the potential health impact of these strategies," says Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust. "Climate change could have a devastating impact on people's health, with those in the developing world at greatest risk. Well-planned and successfully implemented climate change mitigation strategies could actually improve public health - a win-win solution."
Professor Haines, who is leading the study, says: "The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is aiming to achieve an ambitious global agreement on greenhouse gas reduction. Understanding the potential health impacts of these mitigation strategies will help world leaders reach an informed decision about which policies to pursue based on scientific evidence."
Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "We are hugely supportive of this initiative, as doctors are vital advocates in highlighting both the immense dangers of climate change and the potential health benefits in tackling it."
This major piece of work is intended to inform discussions the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 2009, when political leaders meet to agree targets post-Kyoto. The Wellcome Trust and the LSHTM will be working with the World Health Organization to raise awareness of this research, and the health impacts of climate change, during the course of the year.
Image: Traffic congestion in Bangkok. Credit: Joss Dimock
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Notes for editors
Commonwealth Health Ministers to discuss climate change and public health. Press release.
About the partners
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is Britain's national school of public health and a leading postgraduate institution in Europe for public health and tropical medicine. Part of the University of London, the London School is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in public health, international health and tropical medicine with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise. It is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK.
The independent Academy of Medical Sciences promotes advances in medical science and campaigns to ensure these are translated into benefits for patients. The Academy’s nine hundred Fellows are the United Kingdom’s leading medical scientists from hospitals, academia, industry and the public service.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's planned total expenditure in 2009/10 is £204 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
The Royal College of Physicians of London provides a huge range of services to our 20,000 Members and Fellows and other medical professionals. These include delivering examinations, training courses, continuous professional development and conferences; undertaking clinical audits; publishing newsletters, guidelines and books through to maintaining the College's historical collections. We also lead medical debate, and lobby and advise government and other decision-makers on behalf of our members.
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.