The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has published a briefing on the links between climate change and health in Scotland. The SPICe briefing highlights the importance of One Health, and recognises the work done by the One Health Breakthrough Partnership.
Links between Climate Change and Health in Scotland. | Scottish Parliament
Climate change forms part of the triple planetary crises (along with biodiversity loss and pollution) and is one of six of the nine planetary boundaries that have been breached.
The briefing discusses the significance of the One Health approach in responding to climate change. The OHBP’s work is recognised as a key example of cross-sectoral collaboration in bringing together health and environmental researchers with representatives from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, water providers and regulators and public health specialists in Scotland to reduce pharmaceutical pollution in the environment.
Executive Summary
This briefing outlines some of the most relevant impacts of climate change on health in Scotland. As well as risks from injury, damage to property, spread of infectious diseases and mental health impacts, the changing climate will affect food security, water availability and access to services and resources including health and social care. Climate change therefore threatens and undermines the building blocks of good health, like decent housing, mobility, nutritious food, access to green space, secure employment and strong social networks. Vulnerable groups will be worst affected. Action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its effects can therefore create more resilient communities and help improve equity.
Climate change will add pressures onto health and social care systems. As well as creating greater need for care and support, extreme weather events and other climate effects can damage buildings and infrastructure, disrupt transport and lead to closures of health and social care settings, affecting access to and provision of care. Proactively planning for the effects of climate change while also reducing emissions, including in health and social care, can therefore relieve pressure on the NHS and social care providers and protect public health.
There are many examples of inspiring plans and exemplary actions within the health system in Scotland. These include the attention paid to the health risks of the planetary crisis by the Chief Medical Officer, NHS Scotland’s Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy, Public Health Scotland’s strategic approach to climate change and population health and their adverse weather plan. There are also specific initiatives such as reducing the use of greenhouse gas-emitting anaesthetics, using design to make hospitals greener, trialling blue-green prescribing and incremental dialysis. There has also been a proposal to add a ‘climate action’ outcome to the National Performance Framework: ‘We live sustainably, achieve a just transition to net zero and build Scotland’s resilience to climate change’.
As this briefing shows, there is increasing evidence of the risks to health posed by climate change in Scotland. There is also a good understanding about how we can best respond to them by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases while also adapting to climate change’s effects. Climate adaption and climate mitigation will help prevent the worst anticipated impacts of climate change on population health. They also have the potential to deliver health benefits by strengthening the building blocks of health. Gaps in the research remain, yet the evidence we have of the risk to physical and mental health that climate change represents, provides a compelling reason to act to protect individuals’ and public health – and the health and social care systems that serve them.