Canberra doctors launch new climate change health risk campaign

The Australian Medical Association's ACT branch will roll out a campaign in coming weeks urging patients to speak to their GP about managing their health in response to rising temperatures and increasing natural disasters.

Health problems such as respiratory issues and how to exercise safely outdoors during heatwave conditions are expected to be a key focus.

The campaign will consist of posters and pamphlets in waiting rooms, along with an online presence, which will begin some time this spring, although an exact start date is yet to be finalised.

It's expected the campaign will be rolled out in each state and territory in coming months, with the ACT being first off the bat.

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It comes in the wake of the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which found that without "immediate, rapid and large-scale" cuts to record high levels of greenhouse gas emissions then hopes of containing global warming to even 2 degrees would be "beyond reach".

Former ACT AMA president Steve Robson said the organisation was concerned with the health risks caused by climate change and stressed the need for patients to be prepared.

"We are putting the issue first and at the forefront, and hopefully doctors will also engage with the people of Canberra and make patients more aware," Professor Robson said.

"This will be one of the bigger campaigns that [the AMA] has run and it won't end any time soon, and we see it as an ongoing project and it's really important that it's patient-led and they recognise how climate change can be an issue for their health."

The campaign comes after the Black Summer bushfires, which saw smoke linger over Canberra for weeks at a time, with the capital's air quality being among the worst in the world.

It was estimated there were more than 3300 hospital admissions nationwide for cardiovascular or respiratory conditions during the Black Summer fires.

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Some of the posters that will feature in the campaign will show people on oxygen masks struggling to breathe due to bushfire smoke, while another poster will focus on children and how young people could be more susceptible to conditions like asthma.

Professor Robson said with doctors being among the country's most trusted professions, patients would be more likely to listen to advice regarding climate change from medical experts.

"Canberrans are very conscious of climate change and we have seen its effects with the drought and bushfires last year and Canberrans also want to know that doctors are responding," he said.

"It's pretty clear that the climate is changing already, and we need to prepare patients now."

One of the campaign's main proponents David Templeman, who is also a member of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action and former president of the Public Health Association Australia, said it was important for patients to be properly informed of climate-based health risks.

"Compounding disasters have driven the level of anxiety in the community and doctors also need to come around," he said.

"Medical professionals need to be on the front foot in dealing with these climate health plans."

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Canberra doctors could soon be discussing health risks caused by climate change to patients as part of a new push by the ACT's peak medical body.

The Australian Medical Association's ACT branch will roll out a campaign in coming weeks urging patients to speak to their GP about managing their health in response to rising temperatures and increasing natural disasters.

Health problems such as respiratory issues and how to exercise safely outdoors during heatwave conditions are expected to be a key focus.

The campaign will consist of posters and pamphlets in waiting rooms, along with an online presence, which will begin some time this spring, although an exact start date is yet to be finalised.

It's expected the campaign will be rolled out in each state and territory in coming months, with the ACT being first off the bat.

READ MORE:

Former ACT AMA president Steve Robson said the organisation was concerned with the health risks caused by climate change and stressed the need for patients to be prepared.

"We are putting the issue first and at the forefront, and hopefully doctors will also engage with the people of Canberra and make patients more aware," Professor Robson said.

"This will be one of the bigger campaigns that [the AMA] has run and it won't end any time soon, and we see it as an ongoing project and it's really important that it's patient-led and they recognise how climate change can be an issue for their health."

The campaign comes after the Black Summer bushfires, which saw smoke linger over Canberra for weeks at a time, with the capital's air quality being among the worst in the world.

It was estimated there were more than 3300 hospital admissions nationwide for cardiovascular or respiratory conditions during the Black Summer fires.

READ MORE:

Some of the posters that will feature in the campaign will show people on oxygen masks struggling to breathe due to bushfire smoke, while another poster will focus on children and how young people could be more susceptible to conditions like asthma.

Professor Robson said with doctors being among the country's most trusted professions, patients would be more likely to listen to advice regarding climate change from medical experts.

"Canberrans are very conscious of climate change and we have seen its effects with the drought and bushfires last year and Canberrans also want to know that doctors are responding," he said.

"It's pretty clear that the climate is changing already, and we need to prepare patients now."

One of the campaign's main proponents David Templeman, who is also a member of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action and former president of the Public Health Association Australia, said it was important for patients to be properly informed of climate-based health risks.

"Compounding disasters have driven the level of anxiety in the community and doctors also need to come around," he said.

"Medical professionals need to be on the front foot in dealing with these climate health plans."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: