Climate change: health effects in the UK
This is the fourth Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK report, which provides evidence, analysis and recommendations based on climate change projections for the UK. Our changing climate will be the backdrop upon which our governments and health and social care organisations will need to ensure health security in the 21st century. This includes not only how to maintain and improve health as the UK decarbonises and transitions to net zero, but also how we will collectively prepare for, respond, and adapt to the health implications of increasing global temperatures. The impact of climate change on individuals will vary, with the worst effects on disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, which could widen health inequalities further.
This publication states that the next steps include:
- Limiting climate change to lower levels of warming (less than 2°C) as a result of concerted and rapid global decarbonisation.
- Ensuring interventions are implemented early enough to have impact in line with projected risks.
- Accompanying action by focusing on existing gradients in health and equity to ensure that interventions do not exacerbate health inequalities. Higher rates of warming and delayed action translate to increasingly difficult and costly prevention of health impacts, with some interventions becoming infeasible or unsuitable.
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