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Health impacts of climate change

Climate change has been declared a public health crisis by the World Health Organisation, Australian Medical Association and most Australian Specialist Medical Colleges. Climate change is first and foremost a health problem. The impacts on human health can be explained through the climate’s impact on the environment we interact with, as shown in the graphic below.

source: https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/

Our surf life savers are vulnerable to the same health problems as the rest of the community, however our physical competition and lifesaving activities on the beach, put our members at a higher risk.

Hundreds of people die prematurely every year in Australia due to the global warming which has already occurred (Vicedo-Cabrera et al (2021) Nature Climate Change).

Heat stress is more prevalent in extremes of age and outdoor athletes.

Renal impairment has been demonstrated in outdoor workers, exposed to higher temperatures.

Hot weather leads to more heart attacks. Heart attack increases in Melbourne by 38% if 3 consecutive days average Temperature  > 27C or 10% increase if daily average temperature >30˚C

Premature births and stillbirths   ~  increase 5% for every 1˚C rise in ambient temperature (BMJ 2020;371:m3811). At what stage of pregnancy should our members avoid outdoor competition and lifesaving?

Mental health admissions increased by 7.3% during heat waves, based on Adelaide data.

For more detailed information on the health impacts of climate change read the Doctor’s for the Environment Australia report: “How climate change affects your health” (August 2021)

  • Climate Action Motions for your AGM
  • Electric ATV on patrol?
  • When will we have an electric IRB or jetski?
  • Line in the sand: No future for fossil fuel sponsors in surf lifesaving
  • Socials: Contact and collaborate with us

Sustain.Surf

1 week 4 days ago

Power the Rainbow Warrior

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Sustain.Surf

3 weeks 5 days ago

www.abc.net.au/perth/programs/mornings/woodside-nippers-sponsorship/102040176

'Line in the sand': Nippers parents call for end to Woodside sponsorship - ABC Perth

Surf Life Saving WA is being asked to dump its partnership with Woodside as some parents argue their kids are being used as "walking billboards" for fossil fuels.

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Sustain.Surf

3 weeks 5 days ago

Thanks to Greenpeace for picking up on this important issue!

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Sustain.Surf

3 weeks 5 days ago

Opinion piece in WA today drawing link between health harms of tobacco and fossil fuels.

You wouldn’t put a cigarette company logo on your child’s uniform, so why is Woodside OK?

In the 1980s and 1990s we got tobacco advertising out of surf lifesaving, and now we need to do the same with fossil fuels.

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Sustain.Surf

3 weeks 5 days ago

Some activity today. If you want to add your name to our petition to get fossils fuel sponsorship off kids. Click below

Line in the sand: No future for fossil fuel sponsors in surf lifesaving - Sustain Surf

Endorsing fossil fuel companies will only harm the surf lifesaving movement in the long term, through damaging climate change.

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Sustain.Surf

Sustain.Surf

1 month 5 days ago

Greenpeace are helping rid nippers of fossil fuel sponsorship. We need to add some signatures to our new 'open letter' collaboration with Greenpeace. Have a

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 1 week ago

I wonder if this will tow an IRB off the beach (500kg tow capacity). Might need better tyres! lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=electrek.co/2023/02/16/tracker-unveils-new-60-mile-range-electric-utv-with-dumping-bed/?fbclid%3DIwAR2ort6X88avbExEtEbOYv6GGbkyp7aQtlvEmF8AaLpf3HcCIrMLlKjWxJ8&h=AT0JSG-lQ_Cto3ciR001c7WR_TpR0yPZnceAuZX1ZCNSuxBusUBPUps2fm4EFBZvsLaMNtejezT5ehLEdBFObBWJF9oxJqx2aL-X_oreSl02pylOUaNflCJF_Ead&s=1&mibextid=ncKXMA

Tracker unveils new 60-mile-range electric UTV with dumping bed

The new Tracker OX EV electric UTV has just been unveiled, showing off its long-range design that’s optimized for work...

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 2 weeks ago

Surf clubs need to understand how climate is effecting their beach and assets.

Millions of satellite images reveal how beaches vanish in La Niña years — and how they come back

During El Niño cycles, Australia's beaches recover from erosion while beaches from California to Chile erode. It's known as the El Niño Southern-Oscillation climate cycle. But as climate change ramps up the effects ENSO cycles may become more intense.

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 3 weeks ago

Photos from The Climate Council's post

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 3 weeks ago

feeds.lifehacker.com.au/~/726335486/0/lifehackeraustralia/

The Dirty Dozen: Climate Council Names and Shames Australia’s Biggest Polluters

The Climate Council has published a new report that names and shames Australia’s 'filthiest' fossil fuel polluters. We're not surprised, but we feel sick.

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