Recently, I attended a medical conference exploring the links between human health, climate change and biodiversity loss.
The mounting evidence of harms to human health, no longer just stark futuristic predictions, conveyed an urgency impossible to ignore.
Disturbing climate headlines are omnipresent. This winter, Antarctic Sea ice contracted to levels once deemed a 7.5-million-year anomaly. Indications are clear: this is the result of human-induced warming. Concurrently, Europe, North America, Hawaii, and China faced extreme heat waves and wildfires, far surpassing past records.
The health repercussions are tangible. The 2019/20 black summer bushfire smoke in Australia resulted in over 400 additional deaths from heart attacks, strokes, asthma, and emphysema. The subsequent mental health fallout continues to be felt. We have observed a spike in emergency department and GP visits during heat wave conditions. Mainland areas have reported a surge in insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis. These examples merely skim the surface of the myriad of health complications triggered by our changing climate and loss of biodiversity.
Further, global data underscores millions of deaths annually from fossil fuel-induced air pollution. Up to 11 000 die prematurely in Australia each year attributable directly to the pollution produced by our vehicles.
Locally, studies indicate that each wood fire in Tasmania imposes an annual health cost of approximately 4.2k. Go figure why that isn’t included in our health budget!
Being a doctor mandates staying abreast of emerging research and changing medical practice. This commitment to evidence-based medicine ensures that patients receive optimal care. Whether treating high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, or a broken bone, our practice doesn’t waver.
But do we maintain this rigor when confronted with the health repercussions of climate change and biodiversity loss?
Can we, as doctors, ignore the evidence? Are we doing enough to address the harms occurring in our environment which leads to poor human health? Just as if we did not practice evidence-based medicine in the clinic, hospital or operating theatre would we be exposing ourselves to legal liabilities?
Much like the fight against tobacco or heroin addiction, preventive action is invariably more effective and economical than reactive measures to treat the sickness and ill health. This truth applies as much to environmental health as it does to personal well-being. I consistently apply evidence-based medicine to patients grappling with addictions. Can we, as medical doctors, claim the same dedication to the health implications of climate change and biodiversity loss?
I remain unwavering in my commitment to evidence-based medicine, advocating for our climate, biodiversity, and overall well-being. This pledge is for my children and future generations. To neglect the prevailing evidence regarding climate change and biodiversity loss on human health would be an act of gross negligence and ignorance.
Greater action is required to limit climate change and biodiversity loss for the sake of our health.
Dr Darren Briggs is a general practitioner based in north-west Tasmania. He stood as a Tasmanian Greens’ candidate for Braddon in both the 2022 federal election and the 2021 state election.
