Skip to content

United Kingdom

Health

Vulnerabilities – Overview of possible health impacts

Climate change may have an impact on health in several ways, both directly (through temperature e.g.) and indirectly. Health impacts are: cold and heat stress, skin cancer, food poisoning, toxic algae blooms, tick-borne and (other) vector-borne diseases.water-borne diseases, air quality, and leaching of pollutants.


Read more

Vulnerabilities - Regional differences

West and Gawith (1) present an overview of expected climate change impacts on several activities for different regions of the United Kingdom, based on several regional scoping studies. The results for health and healthcare mainly refer to negative impacts and are listed below.


Read more

Vulnerabilities in cities

Several features of modern cities interact with the changing climate to exacerbate the risks and increase vulnerability to climate change. These include (20):


Read more

Adaptation strategies - Overview

The degree to which population vulnerability to outdoor temperature is reduced by improvements in infrastructure, technology, and general health has an important bearing on what realistically can be expected with future changes in climate.


Read more

Adaptation strategies - Urban heat island

General

Develop city- or community-based plans for adapting to climate change. Policy options include early warning systems, health-system preparedness and response, urban and community planning, and housing improvements. A comprehensive adaptation plan should involve multiple public entities, such as city management, the public health department, social services agencies, emergency medical services (or their rural equivalents) and civil society. Communications should be developed to advise people of appropriate behaviours. Measures to reduce air pollution are important throughout the year. Traffic-reducing measures, such as congestion charges, bicycle lanes and park-and-ride arrangements, not only limit CO2 emissions but also facilitate adaptation. The development and maintenance of green spaces is also of fundamental importance (30).


Read more

Adaptation strategies - Reducing health effects from floods

Preventive measures can be divided into pre-flood activities, health protection during floods, and long-term health protection (37).


Read more

Adaptation strategies - Reducing health effects from heat and heat waves

In the long term, the most important measure to take is improving urban planning and architecture, energy and transport policies. Such improvements should begin now, as the lead time for policy development is very long (36)).


Read more

Adaptation strategies - Reducing the number of excess winter deaths

From an analyses of causal factors of excess winter deaths (EWDs) over the past 60 years it was concluded that, contrary to previous studies, the absolute number of EWDs may increase in the coming decades due to an increase in future winter temperature volatility and because of a growing and ageing population (62). In line with this conclusion it was stated that influenza vaccination for people over 65 would be very beneficial.

Adaptation strategies - Emerging infectious diseases

Adjustments to existing surveillance practices in the EU will enhance preparedness and facilitate the public health response to emerging infectious diseases and thereby help contain human and economic costs. For instance, enhanced collaboration between the veterinary surveillance and public health sector will advance preparedness and response if pathogens and vectors become prevalent in the region and pose a threat to humans (56).

References

The references below are cited in full in a separate map 'References'. Please click here if you are looking for the full references for the United Kingdom.

  1. West and Gawith (2005)
  2. DoH (2002), in: London Climate Change Partnership (2002)
  3. Kersey et al. (2000)
  4. Martens (1996); Gawith et al. (1999), both in: London Climate Change Partnership (2002)
  5. London Climate Change Partnership (2002)
  6. WHO (1999), in: Kersey et al. (2000)
  7. Department of Energy and Climate Change of the United Kingdom (2009)
  8. Kerr et al. (1999)
  9. Bentham and Langford (1995), in: Farrar and Vaze (2000)
  10. Farrar and Vaze (2000)
  11. Subak (1999), in: Kersey et al. (2000
  12. Cannell et al. (1999), in: Hunter (2003)
  13. C-CLIF and GEMRU (2003)
  14. Dobson (1994), in: Hunter (2003)
  15. WHO (1999), in: Kersey et al. (2000)
  16. Hunter (2003)
  17. Stanwell-Smith et al. (2002), in: Hunter (2003)
  18. Clark (2000), in: Kersey et al. (2000)
  19. CCIRG (1996), in: Kersey et al. (2000)
  20. Clean Air Partnership (2007)
  21. Carson et al. (2006)
  22. Land Use Consultants, CAG Consultants and SQW Limited (2003a)
  23. Anderson et al. (2003)
  24. Boer (2009)
  25. Kunst et al. (1991); Lerchl (1998); Carson et al. (2006), in: EEA, JRC and WHO (2008)
  26. Carson et al. (2006), in: EEA, JRC and WHO (2008)
  27. Donaldson et al. (2001), in: EEA, JRC and WHO (2008)
  28. Semenza and Menne (2009)
  29. Hajat et al. (2003)
  30. WHO (2008)
  31. The PESETA project (2008), in: WHO (2008)
  32. Confalonieri et al. (2007), in: WHO (2008)
  33. Valent et al. (2004), in: WHO (2008)
  34. Cohen et al. (2004), in: WHO (2008)
  35. UK Office of Public Sector Information (2008), in: WHO (2008)
  36. Matthies et al. (2008), in: WHO (2008)
  37. Meusel et al. (2004), in: WHO (2008)
  38. Greater London Authority (2010)
  39. Health Protection Agency (2008), in: Greater London Authority (2010)
  40. Johnson et al. (2005), in: Met Office (2011)
  41. Lindgren et al. (2006), in: Tamer et al. (2008)
  42. EUCALB (2008), in: Tamer et al. (2008)
  43. Basara et al. (2010); Tan et al. (2010), in: IPCC (2012)
  44. Maloney and Forbes (2011), in: IPCC (2012)
  45. Endlicher et al. (2008); Bacciniet al. (2011), both in: IPCC (2012)
  46. IPCC (2012)
  47. Health Canada (2010), in: IPCC (2012)
  48. WHO (2007), in: IPCC (2012)
  49. Bartzokas et al. (2010), in: IPCC (2012)
  50. McCormick (2010b), in: IPCC (2012)
  51. Luber and McGeehin (2008), in: IPCC (2012)
  52. Semenza et al. (2008)), in: IPCC (2012)
  53. Smoyer-Tomic and Rainham (2001), in: IPCC (2012)
  54. Yip et al. (2008); Silva et al. (2010), both in: IPCC (2012)
  55. Akbari et al. (2001), in: IPCC (2012)
  56. Lindgren et al. (2012)
  57. McCarthy et al. (2011)
  58. Jones and Lister (2009), in: McCarthy et al. (2011)
  59. Altizer et al. (2013)
  60. Pitt Review Team (2008)
  61. Krüger et al. (2013)
  62. Keatinge,W. R. et al. (1997), in: Staddon et al. (2014)
  63. Staddon et al. (2014)
  64. Bennett et al. (2014)
  65. Jenkins et al. (2014)
  66. Mitchell et al. (2016)
  67. Deschênes and Greenstone (2011); Burgess et al. (2014), both in: Carleton and Hsiang (2016) 

  68. Bassett et al. (2020)
  69. Public Health England (2019) in: Brimicombe et al. (2021)
  70. Met Office (2020) in: Brimicombe et al. (2021)
  71. Brimicombe et al. (2021)
  72. Bassett et al. (2021)
  73. Kennedy-Asser et al. (2022)
  74. Taylor et al. (2024)
  75. Iungman et al. (2023), in: Taylor et al. (2024)
  76. Choi et al. (2022), in: Taylor et al. (2024)
  77. Simpson et al. (2024)
  78. Simpson et al. (2025)

Share this article: