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Monash experts: COP29, climate and health

Monash University 4 mins read

As world leaders are today gathering in Azerbaijan for the UN Climate Change Conference 2024, also known as COP29 or the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Monash University’s delegation of climate action leaders are aiming to accelerate global action on sustainability, empowering diverse voices from across the Indo-Pacific and influencing superior policy outcomes across a broad range of issues.

One of Monash’s focus areas at COP is climate and health, positioning planetary health at the centre of climate action. From dangerous weather events, food and water insecurity, poor air quality, changes to infectious disease, effects on our mental health and more, climate change is impacting the health of millions of people around the world, particularly in low and middle income countries. Monash experts are helping the world understand the links between the climate crisis and public and planetary health.

Monash University has sent a delegation of climate action leaders, including academics and students, to each conference since becoming an official COP Observer Organisation in 2016. Find out more monash.edu/cop29 

 

Available to comment:

Angie Bone, Associate Professor in Planetary Health at Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI)
Contact: +61 456 428 906 or media@monash.edu 

  • Planetary health
  • Health sector resilience and sustainability
  • Climate adaptation and sustainable development for health

Associate Professor Bone is attending COP29 from 15 to 21 November

Comments attributable to Associate Professor Bone:

“Urgent and decisive action on the health impacts of climate change is critical to addressing the challenges it presents, not only to ensure better outcomes for individuals and communities, but also for the potential for climate-related health issues to cripple our health systems globally. 

“Policymakers attending COP have an obligation to their people to consider the health implications of climate change when striking cooperative agreements and resolutions. To ignore this issue threatens to put at risk the lives of millions, with even bigger and more severe consequences than those we saw with COVID-19.

“The research tells us this doesn’t have to be a bad news story if decisive action is taken. Moving to cleaner energy, cleaner and more active transport, access to nature and healthier diets can make significant increases in all aspects of human health. We are at a turning point globally, so I implore world leaders to listen and act.”

 

Available to comment:

Dr Lauren May, Senior Lecturer in Drug Discovery Biology in Monash’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Contact: +61 456 428 906 or media@monash.edu 

  • Sustainable pharmacology
  • Innovative drug discovery
  • Molecular pharmacology

Comments attributable to Dr May:

“Modern pharmaceuticals have revolutionised disease prevention and treatment, but after our bodies use medicines, they excrete them. Eventually, the chemicals can end up in rivers, oceans, and soils, so it’s important that drug researchers work towards designing medicines that rapidly mineralise to base substances such as carbon dioxide and water following entry into the environment.

“The effects of active pharmaceutical ingredients passing into our ecosystems needs to be addressed by policymakers with regulation needed to ensure “greener” drug development. If the principles of sustainable drug discovery became standard best practice in Australia, we could produce a new generation of drug researchers who prioritise planetary health in addition to human health when developing new medications.

“We are seeing positive shifts, with the International Pharmaceutical Federation Calling for all medicines to be rigorously tested for environmental risk. The European Medicines Agency has implemented an environmental assessment before it approves medicines for use. Australia and other nations appear to be lagging behind. COP presents an opportunity to put greener drug development on the agenda, and we can’t afford to ignore it.”

 

Available to comment:

Karen Walker-Bone, Professor in Planetary Health in Monash’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Contact: +61 456 428 906 or media@monash.edu 

  • Health in the workplace
  • Mental health and work

Comments attributable to Professor Walker-Bone:

“With our changing climate increasing the severity and regularity of extreme weather events including bushfires, we must address the serious, long-term health impacts on the emergency workers who respond to these events. With our ageing population pushing up the age of those on the front line, periodic health assessment and access to early treatment will become pivotal to ensuring our services are equipped to help our communities through the natural disasters that come with climate change.

“A new study by the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health found firefighters, paramedics, police officers and other first responders have suffered significant mental health disorders and head injuries in devastating bushfires like Black Saturday in 2009 and Black Summer in 2019-20. The research has identified a range of recommendations to improve the outcomes of emergency workers, including portable monitors to track heat and air pollution during the response phase, and better safety strategies during events.

“These immediate and long-term human impacts of climate change can’t be ignored. We need our leaders to consider the impact of our emergency responders on the front line as they discuss global mitigation and adaptation measures at COP.”

 

Available to comment:

Briony Rogers, Professor in Monash Sustainable Development Institute, CEO of Fire to Flourish
Contact: +61 456 428 906 or media@monash.edu 

Comments attributable to Professor Rogers:

“The current approach to disaster resilience and recovery is falling short for  our communities, missing valuable opportunities to leverage local knowledge and resources. Empowering communities, recognising their unique strengths and priorities, and implementing flexible funding and tailored support is critical to ensuring frameworks and decisions work for people who live, work and lead in communities.

“Monash Sustainable Development Institute's Fire to Flourish initiative has worked closely with four communities affected by the 2019-20 bushfires to implement community-led models of disaster resilience and recovery, with clear and widespread benefits evident when co-designing and creating solutions alongside community members. 

“I encourage leaders attending COP to consider the immense benefits that come from supporting community self-determination in resilience and recovery planning. The unrealised potential of community-led action for disaster resilience could be the key to better preparation and recovery, and take the pressure off increasingly stretched resources as these events become more severe and occur more often.”

 

Read more about what Monash climate experts have to say about COP29 at Monash Lens.

For more Monash media stories visit our news & events site: monash.edu/news
For any other topics on which you may be seeking expert comment, contact the Monash University Media Unit on +61 3 9903 4840 or media@monash.edu

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