Climate Change Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK 2008: an update of the Department of Health report 2008

Climate change is perhaps the most significant environmental problem which mankind will face in the coming century. Efforts to reduce the extent of climate change are of course important, but it is likely that we will have to deal with at least some impacts on health. Preparing for climate change is now one of the top four shared priorities for UK action set out in 2005 in Securing the future: Delivering UK sustainable development strategy.

As a response to the need to estimate possible impacts of climate change on health, this new report, jointly published by the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency, is a timely update of earlier work published by the Department of Health in 2002 (Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK). The new report should be read in conjunction with the original report as it focuses on areas where things have changed rather than covering, again, the whole field. A new approach has been taken in some sections and recent research findings have been included in many chapters.

Access the document here.