Climate change and air quality

Highlights included:

• partnering with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the University of Sydney in establishing the Human Health and Social Impacts Node of the Office of Environment and Heritage’s NSW Adaptation Research Hub. The objective of the node is to provide research evidence to inform adaptation programs that seek to protect and promote health in NSW, in the face of a changing climate
• collaborative research projects, including an assessment of novel surveillance technologies to detect exotic mosquitoes, an investigation of housing and vulnerability on the health effects of extreme heat, undertaking a policy investigation of the opportunities and risks to health and wellbeing as a result of climate change
• a guideline on the public health response to prolonged smoke events, including technical details of conducting a health risk assessment, and policy advice for response and mitigation actions to be taken by Public Health Units and other responders.