Climate Change and Health an EU perspective.

1
Climate Change and Health an EU perspective.

• Christian Farrar-Hockley
• Policy Officer
• Health Environment Alliance (HEAL)

Local Authorities Protecting Health and Climate
Change _at_ World Health Editors Network Geneva
23-24 January 2008
2
Who we are

• Health Environment Alliance (HEAL)
• an international not-for-profit, non
  governmental network that aims to improve health
  through EU public policy that promotes a cleaner
  environment and sustainable development
• Created in 2003 by members of the European Public
  Health Alliance, thus the former name EPHA
  Environment Network (EEN)
• Member of the Green 10 (see www.green10.org)

3
Environmental Health

• The Richard Dimbleby Lecture 2007 Dr J Craig
  Venter A DNA-Driven World
• Being an optimist I believe that we can
  ultimately solve the health care issue. But the
  fundamental problem facing our planet - that of
  climate change - is one that is far more grave.
  In fact, unless we tackle this head on, health
  care could be the least of our worries.
• Climate change and health preparing for
  unprecedented challenges, Dr Margaret
  ChanDirector-General of the World Health
  Organization
• I believe that climate change will ride across
  this landscape as the fifth horseman. It will
  increase the power of the four horsemen that rule
  over war, famine, pestilence, and death those
  ancient adversaries that have affected health and
  human progress since the beginning of recorded
  history.

4
Talk today

• Why Local Authorities are so important.
• Health Care and Prevention (synergies and
  unknowns)
• Health Care Systems Mitigation/Adaptation/Developm
  ent
• Practical guidance on Adaptation for Local
  Authorities (some examples)
• The way forward.

5
The Dilemma
Cure lt-gt Prevention
EU
China
Health and Well-Being
Climate Change
Growth and Jobs
Contraction
Convergence
Social Change
6
Environment v Public Health Messages

• We are not trying to save the planet, we are
  ensuring our (and other species) ability to live
  on it.

Environmental Public Health
Smoke that comes out of chimney. Communications Message therefore Technical Fix 1. The Joint Fulfillment Dec 2007 - 20 EU-wide GHG reductions broken down into 27 Member States (need to be 30 decarb. Support for developing countries) 2. EU ETS review for post 2012 Dec 2007 - may cover up to 60 of all EU GHG/CO2 emissions (aviation, shipping, power and large industry and??) - link to CDM and other trading schemes unclear 3. Renewable Energy Roadmap Dec 2007 - sectoral targets, national targets? 35-40 renewable power? Imports? 4. Legislation on Carbon Capture and Storage Dec 2007 link to EU ETS? Mandatory emissions ceilings? 5. CO2 and cars (LDV) Dec 2007 - fleet consumption? Tradability? Target 2012 (120/130 g/km) Target 2020/2025 (?) 6. Review of the Building Directive (in 2008) mandatory standards for retrofit and new buildings incl. offices? 7. Fuel Quality Directive Nov 2007? - deals with upstream GHG emissions also outside EU (fends off unconventional dirty fossil fuels) 8. Biofuel sustainability certification part of the review of biofuel Directive and roadmap 9. Agreement on minimum energy efficiency standards for 15-20 product categories under the EuP Directive - 2009/2010? - but comitology decision unclear on legal status 10. Liberalisation of the energy market Sept 2007 - Ownership/legal unbundling? New grid/pipeline management? Effect of smoke/determinant on health. Communication message therefore Social change health system response plans training of health professionals climate proofed infrastructure 10. Emphasis the application of the subsidiarity principle as the most promising approach to tackle consequences of climate change through concrete adaptive measures, as regions and the local entities in Europe will be more able to respond with political answers to their own experiences, but underlines the need for a coherence check on EU-level 11. Underlines the key role cities and regions play in fighting climate change and calls therefore for the implementation of integrated sustainable urban, regional and rural development strategies, which take full account of measures aimed at mitigation and adaptation and calls for scientific studies, in order to analyse which type of infrastructure can help to address climate change

7
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH and CC

• ODA is changing to deal with CC
• UNFCCC report on Adaptation looks at WSDs and
  CC
• How does health WSDs fit in CC (adapation and
  mitigation)?
• Looks like the polluter will not pay!
• Predict and Prevent
• www.google.org

8
Framework for Healthy Transport
9
Good for Health and Environment
10
Good for Environment and Health?

• Junkscience.com
• Every home a Superfund site? Mercury is highly
  toxic to everyone, but particularly to children
  and developing fetuses, says the activist group
  Environmental Defense, a long-time campaigner
  against mercury from power plant emissions and in
  automobile convenience lighting.So it came as
  quite a surprise when the group began advocating
  that consumers bring the highly toxic mercury
  into their homes in the form of compact
  fluorescent light bulbs in order to reduce power
  plant CO2 emissions. CFLs are so hazardous,
  according to public health officials however,
  that special safety precautions must be taken for
  disposal or if the bulbs break.

31st 1126 GMT 0000 Smoking bans and climate
change Posted by The Economist
BRUSSELS Categories Smoking bans ARE SMOKING
bans bad for the environment? The thought pops
up, while reading screeds of newspaper articles
about the ban on smoking in the bars, restaurants
and clubs of France, that will come into force at
midnight tonight. Many of the articles,
especially in the French press, focus on the ways
in which restaurateurs and bar-owners hope to
continue
11
Mitigation and Local Health Care

• Mitigation - reduce CO2 emission (energy
  efficiency and reduced resource use) - start
  with low hanging fruit (Audit, Switch off, Reset,
  CHP, Public Procurement, ISO or EMAS.)
• Biggest Problem is that Health Care Providers
  feels they are exempt so after the win-wins to
  the carbon-neutral they do not look further
  e.g. Norway - Green Ambulances and ECO driving
  for Ambulance Service, Adenbrooks Hospital UK
  Travel Plan - they are not mutually exclusive
  Health Care for All
• Lack of knowledge on what works and coordination.

No mention of CC
Health expenditure per capita, public and
private, 2005 (OECD)
12
A few examples

• www.energiesparendes-krankenhaus.de
• Hospital Energy Certification by BUND
• CRITERIA
• 25 Reduction of CO2
• Continuous reduction of energy consumption
• Long-term optimal energy consumption
• Implementation of an energy management
• 20 hospitals certified

13
Does this cover it!!
6. Human development Environmental quality in
human settlements and work places waste
management (including domestic waste) and
sanitation noise clean water, air quality
(ambient and indoor) exposure to chemicals and
heavy metals occupational health hazards
vectors and water-borne diseases
overcrowding. Climate change (impact on health
and safety) and ozone depletion. Environmental
disasters (impact on health and safety).
14
EU Conscious European Hospitals
15
Health Care Sector
www.energiesparendes-krankenhaus.de www.noharm.o
rg www.gghc.org www.eu-hospitals.net
www.greeninghealthcare.net www.carbontrust.co.uk/
carbon/nhs/
16
HEAL and Upcoming Events

• ERS/HENVINET meeting on air pollution and health
• HEAL list serve on HEALTH and CC
• HEAL EU advocacy on HEALTH and CC.
• HEAL EU advocacy on CC and Adaptation
• HEAL EUREGHA (committee of the regions) -
  Climate change and the challenges for public
  health engaging the regions, July 2008.
• Best Practice Award for Health Sector on CC.
• Health delegation to UNFCCC COP 13.

17
To stay below 2 degrees C
Global GHG emissions (3/a 2005) have to peak
and decline in next 10 to 15 years Global GHG
emissions have to be reduced by gtgt50 below 1990
levels by 2050 - This translates into 100 for
industrialised countries incl EU EU needs to
reduce GHG by at least 30 domestically by 2020
and in addition contribute to at least 15
further global emissions reductions towards clean
energy development and reduced deforestation in
poor countries with no GHG caps.
18
Http//www.env-health.org