Beyond 2040 and depending on the level of global warming, climate change will lead to numerous risks to natural and human systems (high confidence). The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming (very high confidence)
(source: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability)
Introduction
Climate change has rightly become an increasingly important feature in our everyday lives. We are all affected by it and health and social care contribute significantly towards causing it. Climate affects all the determinants of health and wellbeing in our communities. Dealing with climate change requires everyone working and volunteering in health and social care in West Yorkshire to act – to reduce our environmental impact, but also to prepare for the changes that are already taking place and that will intensify in the future.
Focusing on climate change is challenging in a system which is already overstretched and under significant pressure. However, addressing our societal and environmental responsibilities will lead to a reduction in the frequency and severity of emergencies and save a huge amount of money by reducing inequalities, promoting wellness and reducing the demands on the health and social care system.
Facing the impending effects of climate change can be frightening but everyone in the health and care sector can contribute, and collaborate, to achieve a future in which there is less inequality, more biodiversity, less pollution, and more human thriving than there is at present.
This strategy sets out our ambitions on climate and sustainability, proposes an integrated sustainable decision making tool in order to manage trade-offs, and highlights that we need a risk management approach, all in alignment with the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s (WY HCP) joint forward plan.
You can also download a pdf version of the Climate Change Strategy 2022-2038.