TRACKING injuries and health impacts caused by the climate crisis should be central to planning for a resilient NHS, according to the Scottish Greens.
Health spokesperson Gillian Mackay said increasing incidences of wildfires, flooding, heatwaves and sub zero temperatures are among concerns where risks to people are most acute.
Air pollution amid opposition to measures such as Low Emissions Zones and the impact of climate change on young people’s mental health were also highlighted as key factors by the party.
Mackay said: “The climate crisis has brought increased risk to safety here now as we saw close up this year with the UK’s largest wildfire on record at Cannich, the major flooding that has engulfed communities, record summer temperatures and extreme weather events.
“This is the new front line of the climate crisis for Scotland.
“At the same time, studies show that 73% of young people asked in a poll commissioned by the BBC said they had anxiety over the planet, and a quarter of all young adults aged 22 to 44 surveyed by the Mental Health Foundation said they had climate anxiety.
“All this information needs to be pulled together to plan the resilience of our health service but also to ensure we are targeting the correct areas for change.”
The Scottish Government’s climate change adaptation programme progress report found that heat-related deaths could rise from just 35 a year to almost 300 by 2050.
Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth Scotland puts the number of premature deaths caused as a result of air pollution at 2500 per year.
During the Cannich wildfire last year, which burned through 30 square miles of scrub and woodland, two firefighters were injured.
Emergency service workers have also told of being stretched to the limit during flooding and the risks of rescuing people from catastrophic events such as landslides.
“We know that Public Health Scotland is using place based and wholesale approaches to gather information, but we need intensive focus that builds on the likely upswing in cases over the coming decade and more,” added Mackay.
“What levels of staffing, what facilities, what kind of equipment is needed where and when? Are vehicles suitable, are burns specialists in the right places, do we have adequate ability to transport blood in bad weather?
“We can be tracking the positive impact warmer, greener homes will have by making sure people can live in healthier conditions, how cleaner air in polluted areas with LEZs or less traffic is having, and the growing trend for walking, wheeling and cycling, can help demonstrate with evidence how we can improve conditions we can control.
“Knowledge is power, and we need to make sure it is available, transparent and put into the right hands.”
