Natural disasters will only get worse unless governments and industry get serious about tackling climate change.

Much of Australia’s east coast is struggling to recover from catastrophic floods. Cities like Lismore in northern NSW, which suffered the worst flooding in its history, may never fully recover.

Only two years ago, some of these districts were battling horrendous bushfires after the five hottest years on record.

In fire and flood, many of our members have been near the front line, caring for the sick, infirm and elderly. Often this has occurred when they themselves, and their families and homes, have been under direct threat from natural disasters.

Climate change is happening because of “unprecedented rapid warming from human activities, primarily due to burning fossil fuels that generate greenhouse gas emissions” and land clearing, according to a United Nations expert panel.

The NSWNMA has long argued that global warming will have major consequences for our already overloaded health system and for nurses and nursing.

Years ago, we warned: “Climate change is giving rise to fundamental health issues and the consequences of inaction will be catastrophic.”

Air pollution from NSW fires in late 2019 led 27 health and medical groups to issue a joint statement calling on the federal and NSW governments to respond to the “public health emergency” resulting from bushfire smoke.

“All of our political leaders must acknowledge the health and environmental emergency of climate change and step up and commit to urgent climate action by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with what the science demands,” the statement said.

However, climate change did not rate a mention in Australia’s Long Term National Health Plan, nor in the Department of Health’s Corporate Plan 2021–22, The Lamp reported in February 2021.

Late last year, health groups sent Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt an open letter calling on the government to recognise the magnitude of the health emergency caused by climate change and to embrace more ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The letter proposed a framework for a national strategy on climate, health and well-being for Australia.

Key recommendations included legislation for a 75 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

The letter also called on the government to:

• raise the preparedness of health and emergency services to respond to the impacts of climate change, such as increased extreme weather events
• integrate climate risk assessments into all disaster preparedness and health sector planning
• educate and train health professionals to respond to the health impacts of climate change.

Health impacts of climate change

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:

In Australia, there will be 20–70% more days over 35°C by 2030, putting people at risk of heat-related illnesses

In Australian cities, excess heat-related deaths could quadruple in 2031-2080 compared with 1971-2020

Australia’s “1-in-100” year floods could occur several times a year

 Where the parties stand on CLIMATE CHANGE

 The Greens 

• net zero Australian greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 or sooner
• removal of all subsidies to the fossil fuel industry
• an orderly phase out of the exploration for, extraction, consumption and export of fossil fuels.

Labor

• The Climate Council says the ALP’s 2030 target sets Australia on a path to achieve net zero emissions in 2050.
• Under the ALP plan, renewable energy (like solar and wind) is expected to power 82 per cent of our energy needs by 2030 (up from 68 per cent under the Coalition’s “business as usual” approach).
• The Climate Council says Labor’s modelling and policies is “comprehensive” and will lead to “significant jobs growth and private investment” while lowering power bills for households and businesses.
• “Labor’s new suite of climate policies would create jobs and economic prosperity – particularly in the regions – and could get Australia off the sidelines and back in the race to net zero,” Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie says.

Coalition

• The Climate Council describes the Coalition’s climate policies as a “do nothing approach”.
• The council says that under current government policy settings Australia won’t reach net zero until almost 2100 – “In fact, the Morrison government’s own modelling shows it would only be reducing emissions by a little more than a half by 2050.”
• The Coalition insists it is committed to reducing emissions through technology, including investment in hydrogen, long-duration energy storage, low emissions steel and aluminium production, carbon capture and storage, and healthy soils.