Medics show climate alarm
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Australian emergency medicine workers are increasingly alarmed by climate change.
Focus groups across 36 countries have been put together to rate the potential impact of climate change on emergency services.
The study, presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress, rated the risk at an average of 7 out of 9.
Australasian workers, along with those from Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa, were particularly worried.
Key threats identified include pollution, flooding, and heatwaves, followed by cold spells, wildfires, and insect-borne diseases.
Despite this, over half of respondents said their governments had done little to address these concerns, with only 21 per cent reporting that climate change assessments for emergency services had been conducted.
The gap in preparation is troubling, given that climate change is expected to affect countries worldwide, both wealthy and poor.
“In particular, our survey showed the need to strengthen emergency medicine services and education programmes for medical students and emergency medicine doctors, as well as research,” said Dr Roberta Petrino, co-chair of the session titled ‘Climate change is a health emergency too’.
“Emergency medical professionals are very worried about the effects of climate change on the care they provide. Our report shows that colleagues feel it’s an important problem around the world, although specific issues vary from one region to another and these relate to geographical position, the economic situation and the types of risks.”
Pollution, flooding, and heatwaves were the top risks identified by all focus groups.
In high-income countries, workers were most concerned about heatwaves, cold spells, and wildfires, predicting a surge in patient numbers.
In contrast, low- and middle-income countries saw food shortages and healthcare disruptions as their primary challenges.
Australasian, Central American, and Sub-Saharan African regions expected the greatest impact from climate change.
These concerns align with the WorldRiskIndex, which ranks countries' vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change. Areas at higher risk also reported greater fears of increased demands on emergency services and supply chain disruptions.
The European Society of Emergency Medicine is calling for urgent national and international action to mitigate climate change’s impact on healthcare systems.
“The world faces a climate change emergency, and our medical services face an emergency too,” Dr Petrino stressed.