Page 902 - Week 03 - Thursday, 7 April 2022
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environment. The next five years are vital for increased climate change action. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlights the need for rapid emissions reductions and adaptation to climate impacts. The ACT government will continue to plan and respond to climate change so that we can continue to enjoy the high quality of health and wellbeing that the ACT provides to its communities.
The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network is an international community of hospitals, healthcare facilities, health systems and health organisations working to achieve measurable outcomes in improving sustainability at their facilities while promoting environmental health in their communities. The ACT government committed to the network in the Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, in order to improve sustainability performance and reduce emissions from ACT health facilities.
Consistent with this commitment, the ACT health system has joined the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network, which is a project of Health Care Without Harm, one of the lead organisations involved in COP26. Supported by the World Health Organization, Health Care Without Harm and the UNFCCC Climate Champions, the COP26 Health Program enables transformational change to protect the health of people and the planet.
Initiatives under the COP26 Health Program include: building climate-resilient health systems; developing low-carbon sustainable health systems; adaptable research for health; the inclusion of health priorities in nationally determined contributions; and raising the voice of health professionals as advocates for stronger ambition on climate change. Two of the program’s key initiatives support countries in developing climate-resilient and low-carbon sustainable health systems. The ACT government is investigating how we can commit to the COP26 Health Program goals and will continue to advocate for this important work at a national level.
A key area of concern for the ACT in recent years is the impact of bushfire smoke on air quality. On 11 November 2021, the ACT government released its bushfire smoke and air quality strategy, a whole-of-government approach to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from significant bushfire smoke events and our management of the smoke from wood heaters.
This strategy sets out key actions over the next four years, including strengthening wood heater emission standards, enhancing air quality monitoring and forecasting, identifying and supporting smoke refuges and providing economic support for those effected by severe bushfire smoke. I want to acknowledge Minister Vassarotti for really taking the lead in delivering this strategy and continuing to work on these initiatives.
The ACT government is also focusing on addressing the risk factors that lead to poorer health outcomes. We are striving to create healthier environments to prevent disease and aiming to support families and children to grow in a healthy community and live long and healthy lives.
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