The climate crisis is a health crisis

The climate crisis is a massive threat to human health. If you have lung disease you should be particularly concerned about the climate crisis; it affects the quality of the air you breathe. The climate has already warmed by 1°C due to human carbon emissions. You may have noticed changes in extreme weather, which could be influencing your breathing already. Higher temperatures also result in prolonged pollen seasons, particularly affecting asthma sufferers. Warmer temperatures also cause more wildfire, dust storms and ground-level ozone, all of which worsen lung disease.

Many things that cause the climate crisis also worsen air pollution; for example coal-fired power stations and road traffic. There are huge potential health benefits from switching to more environmentally friendly methods of energy production and transport.

What should we do about the climate crisis?

Previous international agreements had examined ways to limit global warming to 2°C. There is now clear evidence summarised in the latest IPCC report that a 2°C world involves more death, mass suffering and animal extinction than a 1.5°C warmer world. Good intentions are no longer enough; we need action now. We need to do everything we can, and we need to do it as soon as possible. One of those things includes thinking carefully about how we use inhalers. This site will help guide you through what you can do.