Climate and Health
Climate and health are connected. Climate change can affect health in several ways:
- Physical health e.g. hot weather-related illness, water- and vector-borne diseases
- Mental health e.g. exacerbation of existing mental illness, depression and anxiety
- Damage to the economy and communities, which has knock-on health impacts
- Disruption to public services, including health, care and other vital services.
Climate change is already affecting Newham residents’ health and exacerbating health inequalities. Reducing emissions, addressing the unequal impacts of climate change, and adapting to the changing climate – as set out in our Just Transition Plan – can deliver a wide range of health benefits. For example, creating green spaces to reduce flood risk also improves physical and mental health. And vice versa, many actions to improve health can have environmental benefits. For example, enabling people to travel more actively will increase physical activity and also reduce vehicle emissions.
To address these issues, our Just Transition Plan and our health and wellbeing strategy, 50 Steps to a Healthier Newham 2024-27, include a number of commitments on climate and health. The commitments are informed by evidence on the main impacts of climate change on health in Newham today and who is most at risk, which is summarised in our evidence review, Climate and Health in Newham (PDF).
Hot Weather and Heat Waves
Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. There are lots of resources available to help you keep well during this period - find out more information on our Summer Wellness page.
