Presentations from the IHEA Queensland Branch Mid-Year Conference, Brisbane, 20 July 07 - Sustainability

Environmental impacts on health

Climate change has the potential to affect human health. The concerns addressed in this section deal with the implications of these environmental factors on the health of people in Victoria.

Health impacts resulting from climate change

Governments and international organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the predicted impacts of climate change. In 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published Climate Change and Human Health - Risks and Responses. In its report, it noted that the global average temperature is increasing as a result of human-related activities and this poses a threat to human population health.

The view of the WHO is that climate change will result in a range of associated health impacts including increases in illnesses and diseases. This may most easily by identified by additional health, social, environmental and economic impacts. Climate change is expected to displace persons through such events as flooding.

Read more at the DHSV environment web site http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/environment/impacts.htm