Climate change is impacting our environment. The impacts include:
These impacts can also damage and disrupt NSW government assets and services, such as:
There may also be an increase in hospital admissions when people are affected by poorer air quality and heatwaves.
Health systems will need to consider the impacts on services, workforce, infrastructure and supply chains, and develop adaptation plans.
As an initial step, organisations are expected to:
The NSW Government is developing a number of resources in this area:
NSW Government has developed a NSW Climate Change Adaptation Strategy setting out an ambitious approach to climate change adaptation, decision-making principles and objectives for adaptation, key priorities and a suite of actions. The strategy commits to releasing the first state-wide climate change risk and opportunity assessment, and adaptation action plan in 2023.
Queensland Health has developed Climate Change Adaptation Planning Guidelines. The guidelines, climate risk almanac, scan cycle and detailed cycle templates enable users to integrate identified climate change risks into existing risk registers.
Access useful publications about adaptation:
For more information, contact moh-netzero@health.nsw.gov.au
Find out more about the impacts of climate change on our health and wellbeing.
