Public health in a degrading biosphere
Prof. Alistair Woodward
University of Auckland
Professor Alistair Woodward is a public health doctor and epidemiologist at the University of Auckland. He has a close interest in the influence of environments on human health, ranging from the impacts of urban design to global climate change. He contributed to the last four assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Key points from expert talk
- Climate change is already harming public health. It threatens the fundamental conditions for good health – including safe water, food security, housing and protection from infectious diseases.
- The health impacts of climate change are widespread and often indirect. Heatwaves, floods, bushfires and storms not only cause immediate injury and death but also disrupt healthcare, damage infrastructure and increase illness long after the event has passed.
- Changes to the biosphere are creating new and unpredictable health risks. Ocean warming, ecosystem disruption and more intense climate patterns such as El Niño are increasing the likelihood of novel hazards, while amplifying existing public health threats.
- Climate change is a major challenge for health equity. The greatest health impacts fall on people and communities that are already vulnerable, despite contributing least to climate change, further deepening existing inequalities.
- Many climate and health interventions deliver multiple benefits. Resilient healthcare facilities, healthier diets and low-emissions transport can improve public health while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience.
- Reducing transport emissions would generate substantial health gains. Expanding public transport, walking and cycling would improve air quality, improve overall population health and help lower New Zealand’s largest source of carbon emissions.
- We already have effective responses using existing technologies. While climate change poses serious risks to public health, we already have access to effective solutions that, if implemented at scale, can enhance human wellbeing while mitigating climate and environmental degradation.