CREDS researcher, Dr Gesche Huebner, recently submitted an idea on the health implications of climate change to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee which was shortlisted for presentation at Westminster in front of the Committee.
CREDS researcher, Dr Gesche Huebner, recently submitted an idea on the health implications of climate change to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee MyScienceInquiry which was shortlisted for presentation at Westminster in front of the Committee.
In November 2018 the Committee launched the ‘My Science Inquiry’ initiative, which invited the public to suggest potential inquiries for the Committee’s future work programme. The aim of the initiative was to provide an opportunity for the science and technology community and the general public to alert the Committee to topics deserving greater parliamentary scrutiny. Ten of these submissions were shortlisted to deliver a five-minute public pitch to the Committee earlier this year.
Gesche’s pitch, which she presented in January was entitled, ‘What are the likely climate change impacts on health and productivity in the UK?’ It addressed the following issues:
- If, and how, health benefits are being costed in policies connected to mitigating climate change.
- Where Government funding is needed to fill gaps in knowledge around the impacts of climate on health and productivity, with a focus on the role of increased atmospheric CO2.
- Ensuring that the same metrics are used in various assessments – such as the number of summer deaths.
- Improving regulations and standards – such as building regulations – with regard to overheating.
Although her topic was not chosen for an inquiry in the end, as an outcome, [they] ‘will write to the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth to explore these issues and to understand what actions the Government could take to address the concerns raised’.
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