Rising temperatures, rising risks summit brings experts together
Experts on the health impacts of heat and heatwaves came together in Canberra this week to examine solutions to the “wicked” problem of climate change and the devastating health-related impacts of increasing temperatures.
This week we brought together experts for the Rising temperatures, rising risks roundtable, to identify gaps in both health service delivery and public awareness that hinder effective responses to heat emergencies.
Representatives, including from general practice, cardiology and emergency medicine, spoke at the summit, all with devastating stories to tell of patient deaths directly caused by high temperatures.
Gaps in public education, infrastructure, and services, and the impacts of these gaps were discussed, together with health equity and access, with some in the community more severely impacted by extreme heat because of their socio-economic circumstances.
Experts at the roundtable identified a need for improved education and awareness campaigns on the harms of heat and heatwaves for both doctors and patients, identifying the need for consistent and impactful language.
Attendees also discussed the critical need for improved social infrastructure, including better thermoregulation of our homes, cooled spaces where people feel safe, and the need to change attitudes to working hours for those who are currently working in extreme heat.
The impacts of rising temperatures on First Nations peoples were also identified, together with the need to involve First Nations peoples in developing solutions.
Critically, attendees heard about the evidence of the direct impact increasing temperatures has on mental health, with increasing numbers of young people ending up in hospital emergency rooms during heatwaves.
The AMA will gather and analyse insights from the roundtable to inform our policy and advocacy, with a specific focus on safeguarding those who already face health disparities because of socio-economic circumstances.
