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Climate Change and Health: Local Government Capacity for Health Protection in Australia

Author

Listed:
  • James C. Smith

    (College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, Australia)

  • Harriet Whiley

    (College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, Australia)

  • Kirstin E. Ross

    (College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, Australia)

Abstract

Climate change is the greatest global health threat of the 21st century, with numerous direct and indirect human health consequences. Local governments play a critical role in communities’ response to climate change, both through strategies to reduce emissions and adaption plans to respond to changing climate and extreme weather events. Australian local government environmental health officers (EHOs) have the relevant skills and expertise to inform and develop adaptation plans for health protection in the context of climate change. This study used an online survey followed by phone interviews of local government management to determine the extent to which EHOs are involved in adaptation planning in health protection climate change plans. Questions were also asked to determine whether local councils are aware of EHOs’ capability to contribute and to gauge the willingness of management to provide EHOs with the workload capacity to do so. The findings demonstrated that although climate adaptation and mitigation planning is occurring in local government, it is not including or considering the public health impacts on the community. Primarily, it was found that this oversight was due to a lack of awareness of the health impacts of climate change outside of a disaster or emergency scenario. Currently, EHOs are an untapped source of knowledge and skills that can contribute to climate change adaption planning. To support this, a framework of local environmental health practice was developed to assist the reconceptualization of the scope of practice required for the planning and response to climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • James C. Smith & Harriet Whiley & Kirstin E. Ross, 2023. "Climate Change and Health: Local Government Capacity for Health Protection in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-12, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:1750-:d:1039452
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James C. Smith & Harriet Whiley & Kirstin E. Ross, 2021. "The New Environmental Health in Australia: Failure to Launch?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-10, February.
    2. Austin, Stephanie E. & Ford, James D. & Berrang-Ford, Lea & Biesbroek, Robbert & Ross, Nancy A., 2019. "Enabling local public health adaptation to climate change," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 236-244.
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    Cited by:

    1. Seok Bum Hong & Jin Byeong Lee & Jeong Hoon Shin & Hong Sik Yun, 2023. "Criteria for and Policy Implications of Setting Recovery Priorities of National Functions during Disruptions by Disasters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Harriet Whiley & James C. Smith & Nicole Moore & Rebecca Burton & Nadia Conci & Helen Psarras & Kirstin E. Ross, 2023. "Climate Change and Health: Challenges to the Local Government Environmental Health Workforce in South Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(14), pages 1-11, July.

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