26 June 2008

The European Regional Local Health Authorities and the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) in collaboration with Veneto Region and North West England organised a conference on “Climate change and the challenges for public health: engaging the regions” that took place on 24 June 2008 at the Committee of the Regions. A number of significants recommendations were raised and agreed by the participants in order to reduce climate change.

The objective of the conference was to provide a forum for discussion on the health implications of the proposed “Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package”, by raising awareness of adaptation and mitigation initiatives undertaken at the local and regional level.

Within this framework, EUREGHA and HEAL launched on 7 May 2008 a competition entitled "Climate Change and Health Good Practice Award", whose winners for the categories "adaptation" and "mitigation" were awarded during the conference by Ms. Bettina Menne, Medical Officer of the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Recent studies show that climate change will inevitably affect the determinants of health, in terms of food and water shortages and exposure to polluted air by causing greater inequities and broadening the burden of disease. In this regard, figures are self-explanatory: each year about 800.000 people die from causes attributable to urban air pollution and nearly 60.000 die in natural disasters due to heat waves, floods and droughts. Moreover, climate change brings new challenges in terms of infectious diseases’ control since vector-borne epidemics and other patterns of infections spread with the rise of temperatures and/or precipitations.

In addressing these overriding themes, Mr. Francesco Ronfini, Chair of EUREGHA, emphasised why and how European regions are called to protect their citizens’ health and well-being by preventing and tackling the ‘local’ consequences of climate change occurring at a global ‘level’. In order to protect the most vulnerable groups of population who are more likely to be exposed to the negative effects on climate change, namely, elderly people, women, the poor and children living in poverty, Mr. Ronfini stressed the importance of "strengthening the public health services".

Génon Jensen, Executive Director of the Health and Environment Alliance, welcomed the overwhelming endorsement at the meeting for putting health at the centre of thinking on climate change. “The health sector will be the worst affected, but it represents a large and influential group of professionals who can unite to make a difference.”

The meeting brought together more that 60 representatives from regional and local authorities and the UK National Health Service, which is the biggest employer in Europe. Participants learnt that climate change initiatives could promote public health, provide energy cost savings, improve staff morale and even improve recovery rates.

Awards were presented to the winners of a “Climate change and health good practice awards” by Dr Bettina Menne, medical officer of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, an expert on climate change and public health in Europe.

The mitigation initiative award went to Disability Essex for the “Sustainable Centre for Disabilities” project. The Centre will provide almost all its own energy needs with the help of solar power and windmill technology and offer disabled people both a refuge and a place to learn how to adapt to climate change. Some disabled, former construction workers will have the opportunity to retrain for jobs in the eco-construction industry.

The winner of the adaption project was the Municipality of Tatabanya in Hungary, where a network of social, educational, and health care institutions are involved in implementing a Heat and UV alert plan. When the alert goes out, as it did on Monday of this week, junior school children are kept inside during the heat of the day, given more water to drink, and reminded of the other precautions they need to take.

Thirty-eight projects were entered in the competion from nine EU countries plus Australia and Switzerland. Fifteen contestants are from UK, seven from Italy, four from Sweden (including a joint Danish/Swedish entry), two each from Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland and one each from Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

In the view of sharing knowledge and best practices as an effective tool to improve and strengthen the preparedness and responsiveness of health systems to health threats, a number of recommendations were carried out at the end of the conference to call upon EU and Member States, health authorities and health professionals to put climate change at the core of their agendas.

On the one hand, EU and Member States should:

1. Agree a cut of at least 30% in the EU’s domestic emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020;

2. Develop national and regional communication and awareness raising activities on climate change that provide the health care sector with sustainable solutions for public health and climate change;

3. Further investigate the co-benefits to health of climate change mitigation efforts that can help reduce the disease burden in the European Union, especially among the most vulnerable groups.


On the other hand, health authorities, health professionals and all those working in the health sector should:

1. Avail of their expertise and achieved social status to raise public awareness of the health benefits of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts;

2. Make available key facts on health and climate change to regional policy makers, health professionals and staff in the European Union. The information should share examples of “good practice”, highlight the needs of the most vulnerable, and emphasise the potential for cost savings where they exist;

3. Set an example by promoting and supporting the “greening” of health services, especially “win-win” projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health through investment in sustainable transport schemes, renewable energy, improved energy and resource efficiency, and sustainable procurement options;

4. Establish and influence the development of local adaptation activities, including early warning systems, health system preparedness, and health care planning;

5. Advocate climate-friendly and healthy policies in all sectors, including energy, transport and housing in collaboration with health and environment groups;

6. Champion the need for cuts in greenhouse gases and investment in communication and awareness raising activities with politicians and other decision-makers.

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Presentations:

- Mr. Nicola Notaro, Directorate General for Environment, European Commission

- Mr. Franz Karcher, Directorate General Health and Consumers, European Commission

- Ms. Bettina Menne, WHO Regional Office for Europe

- Ms. Maria Arnold, NHS

- Ms. Jan Falconer, Aberdeen City Council

- Ms. Pirita Lindholm, Climate Alliance

- Mr. Tommaso Torrigiani, University of Tuscany "Biometeo for Health"

- Mr. Andrea Rossa, Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment (ARPAV)

- Mr Anogeianakis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

- Mr. Andras Olah, Municipality of Tatabanya, Winner for Adaptation

- Mr. Richard Boys, Disability Essex, Winner for Mitigation