Climate a health issue as Illawarra experts eye solutions

Professor Thomas Astell-Burt from the University of Wollongong's PowerLab said their research had found that increasing the tree canopy cover from 10 per cent of a city to 30 per cent would bring a 31 per cent decrease in the chance of developing of diabetes, a 22 per cent reduction in the odds of developing heart disease, and a 17 per cent reduction in the odds for hypertension.

Professor Astell-Burt, head of the PowerLab at the UOW faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, said more funding was needed for "regenerative industries" such as urban greening, and research into how to "empower people" to spend more time outdoors, including while working.

Read more: Illawarra coast picked for potential $10bn offshore wind farm

He was speaking at the Global Climate Change Week event at UOW. UOW lead researcher on the Global Challenges Global Goals, Local Level project Belinda Gibbons said climate change should be seen as a health issue as well as environmental.

"Fires and smoke aggregate heart and lung conditions," Dr Gibbons said.

"Droughts curb our ability to sustain healthy crops and put food security at risk. And as the recent pandemic has shown, when our health is threatened, our usual ways of life come to a standstill.

"In a way, we need to start discussing climate as much as we are talking about COVID-19."

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