Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jul 3;20(13):6285.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20136285.

Impacts of Climate Change on Health and Health Services in Northern New South Wales, Australia: A Rapid Review

Grace W Lee  1   2 , Kristina Vine  1   3 , Amba-Rose Atkinson  1   4 , Michael Tong  3   5 , Jo Longman  1   3   6 , Alexandra Barratt  2   3 , Ross Bailie  3   7 , Sotiris Vardoulakis  3   5 , Veronica Matthews  1   3 , Kazi Mizanur Rahman  1   6
Affiliations

Impacts of Climate Change on Health and Health Services in Northern New South Wales, Australia: A Rapid Review

Grace W Lee et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Climate change is exposing populations to increasing temperatures and extreme weather events in many parts of Australia. To prepare for climate challenges, there is a growing need for Local Health Districts (LHDs) to identify potential health impacts in their region and strengthen the capacity of the health system to respond accordingly. This rapid review summarised existing evidence and research gaps on the impact of climate change on health and health services in Northern New South Wales (NSW)-a 'hotspot' for climate disaster declarations. We systematically searched online databases and selected 11 peer-reviewed studies published between 2012-2022 for the Northern NSW region. The most explored health outcome was mental health in the aftermath of floods and droughts, followed by increased healthcare utilisation due to respiratory, cardiovascular and mortality outcomes associated with bushfire smoke or heat waves. Future research directions were recommended to understand: the compounding impacts of extreme events on health and the health system, local data needs that can better inform models that predict future health risks and healthcare utilisation for the region, and the needs of vulnerable populations that require a whole-of-system response during the different phases of disasters. In conclusion, the review provided climate change and health research directions the LHD may undertake to inform future adaptation and mitigation policies and strategies relevant to their region.

Keywords: Australia; Northern New South Wales; climate change; health impact; health services.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest that is relevant to the content of this article. The funders contributed to the design and scope of the original Evidence Check study; they had no role in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map showing the study region of Northern NSW Local Health District (shaded in grey).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model agreement and predicted direction and magnitude of change in temperature, hot days, cold nights, rainfall, and fire danger in Northern NSW in the near and far future.
Figure 3
Figure 3
PRISMA flow chart showing the number of articles included or excluded in the rapid literature review stages.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of studies found according to the main known climate exposure and health outcome categories.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change . Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. A Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC; Geneva, Switzerland: 2023. [(accessed on 1 March 2023)]. Summary for Policymakers. in press . Available online: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf.
    1. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation & the Bureau of Meteorology . State of the Climate 2022. Commonwealth of Australia; Canberra, Australia: 2022. [(accessed on 5 March 2023)]. Available online: https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/st....
    1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Regional Fact Sheet—Australiasia. [(accessed on 20 February 2023)]. Available online: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/factsheets/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Reg....
    1. Costello A., Abbas M., Allen A., Ball S., Bellamy R., Friel S., Groce N., Johnson A., Kett M., Lee M., et al. Managing the health effects of climate change. Lancet. 2009;373:1693–1733. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60935-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Watts N., Adger W.N., Agnolucci P., Blackstock J., Byass P., Cai W., Chaytor S., Colbourn T., Collins M., Cooper A., et al. Health and climate change: Policy responses to protect public health. Lancet. 2015;386:1861–1914. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60854-6. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types