Doctors Voice disappointment as Government Climate Targets Fail to Address Growing Health Crisis
CANBERRA – Australian doctors are expressing deep concern that teh Government’s continued support for fossil fuel projects undermines efforts to mitigate the escalating health impacts of climate change.The warning comes as frontline GPs report an increasing burden of climate-sensitive illnesses and injuries linked to more frequent and severe extreme weather events.
Dr. Pendrey warned that without stronger action, both patients and doctors will be left to grapple with the worsening health consequences of a changing climate.”We’ve got GPs around Australia who have been on the frontline responding to bush fires and floods made more severe and more frequent by climate change, and we know that is only going to continue to get worse,” she said. Beyond visible disasters, doctors are noting a rise in less-obvious climate-related health issues.
The concerns center on the Government’s simultaneous acknowledgement of climate change as a important problem alongside its ongoing investment in fossil fuels. DEA Chair professor Nick Talley likened the situation to a doctor treating a patient’s COPD with medication while actively encouraging them to smoke.”Such behavior would be contrary to the principles of proper patient care and is unethical,” he stated.
Doctors highlight that extreme heat events already cause more deaths in Australia than all other extreme weather events combined, yet are often not officially recognized as heat-related. Furthermore, they are witnessing an increase in mosquito-borne diseases like Japanese encephalitis, wich was rarely seen in Australia until recently.
“We’re definitely already seeing the impact and we certainly know they’re going to get worse,” Dr. Pendrey emphasized. the medical community is calling for a more consistent and preventative approach to climate policy that prioritizes public health.
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