Climate change warning
Posted
Tasmania's most senior health official has warned that climate change could have a bigger impact on the state's medical future than our ageing population.
The State Government has pledged to reduce Tasmania's greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, based on 1990 levels.
The focus until now has been on the economic cost of reducing emissions.
The Public Health Director, Roscoe Taylor, says the potential health impacts from climate change are enormous.
"They can range from effects in our water systems through to the food supply," Dr Taylor said.
"Also vector-borne diseases, that's mosquito-borne diseases, food-borne illnesses could all be aggravated by climate change," he said.
