BAPEN is pleased to be a signatory of the Roadmap to Global Heat Health Resilience consensus statement, published today by the Physiological Society. The statement calls on governments and agencies to recognise the challenge rising temperatures are presenting to human health across the world and the impact they have across a range of policy areas. We stand by our partners in supporting the development of heat resilience strategies to focus on medium- and long-term preparation for rising heat, with coordinated activity at local, national and international levels.
Dr Ashley Bond, BAPEN’s Sustainability SIG Chair, commented:
“Climate change is a significant threat to human health, with extreme heat impacting our physiological capacity. It is crucial that we enhance global heat resilience to mitigate the health impacts of rising temperatures and contribute towards a resilient and thriving future for all communities. Collaborative working between various stakeholders is necessary to bring about tangible change – this consensus statement is a great example of joint working towards common goals.”
Alongside the Faculty of Public Health, Royal Society of Public Health, the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and others, this statement calls for the prioritisation of the following elements, which lay out a global roadmap for heat resilience:
- Prevention and preparation: Focus on medium- and long-term strategies for the whole population, with a specific focus on vulnerable populations.
- Coordinated efforts: Align heat-related activities at all government levels with clear accountability.
- Societal engagement: Engage public, private, and voluntary sectors in resilience measures.
- Targeted Heat Action Plans: Use vulnerability assessments to focus efforts on those most at risk.
- Enhanced collaboration: Foster cooperation across countries, sectors, and scientific disciplines, incorporating transdisciplinary approaches.
- Future prosperity and sustainability: Promote sustainability and productivity for a brighter, prosperous and secure future.
Read the full consensus statement here, having been launched in the House of Lords earlier today.
