Health and science organisations come together in Parliament to call for urgent responses to rising temperatures. Read on to find out more about the launch of our consensus statement on Wednesday 12 June.
Climate change poses the greatest health threat to humanity. The world is dangerously unprepared for rising temperatures and heatwaves that are more frequent, longer and more intense.
A consensus statement launched by The Physiological Society today (Wednesday) in the Houses of Parliament calls for immediate, coordinated action to reduce the projected rise in deaths and health issues due to increasing temperatures.
The statement, signed by organisations across the health and science sector, outlines a Roadmap to Global Heat Health Resilience, which urges leaders across the world to adopt a human-centred approach to tackling the health threat of climate change. At a global level governments are too often focused on short-term responses rather than building long-term resilience based on human physiology. That has to change.
Everyone is at risk from rising temperatures, particularly those with reduced ability to cope with extreme heat, such as people who are in poor health, older, pregnant, or those living or working in high-exposure environments.
The Roadmap to Global Heat Health sets out six priorities to mitigate the health impacts of rising temperatures and contribute towards a resilient and thriving future for all communities:
- Prevention and preparation: Focus on medium- and long-term strategies for the whole population, with a specific focus on vulnerable populations.
- Coordinated efforts: Align heat-related activities at all government levels with clear accountability.
- Societal engagement: Engage public, private, and voluntary sectors in resilience measures.
- Targeted Heat Action Plans: Use vulnerability assessments to focus efforts on those most at risk.
- Enhanced collaboration: Foster cooperation across countries, sectors, and scientific disciplines, incorporating transdisciplinary approaches.
- Future prosperity and sustainability: Promote sustainability and productivity for a brighter, prosperous and secure future.
UK Action Plan
Recent research from the University of Oxford found that the UK is one of the most dangerously unprepared for rising heat. In 2022, the UK experienced record-breaking temperatures of over 40°C, resulting in the Met Office issuing its first ‘red warning’ for extreme heat and the Government declaring a national emergency. During that summer alone, there were an estimated 2,985 excess deaths associated with five heat episodes in England, the highest number in any given year.
To tackle this, the consensus statement includes an action plan for the UK to build a heat resilient future by taking a cross-government approach, as well as supporting international action to save the lives of the most vulnerable. Action plans for other countries will follow.
Next steps
Following the launch, the consensus statement can be read online and signed at physoc.org/climatechange.
Comments welcoming the launch of the statement
Dariel Burdass, Chief Executive of The Physiological Society said:
“Heat waves are among the most dangerous of the natural hazards and the World Health Organization reports that heat stress is the leading cause of weather related deaths and can exacerbate underlying illnesses including cardiac disease, diabetes mental health and asthma.
“Too often, governments have focused on short term responses to heatwaves rather than building long term resilience based on human physiology. We need urgent coordinated action to enable individuals, communities and infrastructure to withstand rising heat and minimise the impact on human health.
“Our Roadmap to Heat Health Resilience consensus statement brings together a broad range of health and science organisations. We aim to galvanise action to improve worldwide resilience to the consequences of rising heat, rooted in physiological understanding of the impacts of heat on people. Thereby promoting healthier, more prosperous communities and more equitable places to live.
Elizabeth Robinson, Director of the LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment said:
“A Heat Resilience Roadmap will ensure the most vulnerable are protected, including people who are very young, old, pregnant, those living with mental and physical health conditions and those who work in high-exposure environments.”
Emer O’Connell, Consultant in Public Health, Greater London Authority said:
“This consensus statement is an important step in combining cross-disciplinary efforts to tackle the global rise in temperature. Physiology is an integral part of this heat and health puzzle; we need to understand how the body responds to heat to mitigate and prevent the health impacts of rising temperatures. From a public health perspective, we largely understand the population-level elements of risk, but physiologists can help assess risk at the individual level, which is crucial when planning for a future that is equitable.”