Climate Change Impact Mitigation in Health: Reducing the Disparity of the Health Sector's Exposure to Climate Change Challenges

The Working Group on Vulnerabilities and Climate Change has been formally established, marking a significant step towards ensuring a just climate adaptation. This group, led by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030, includes representatives from various ministries and organisations, such as the Ministries of Health, Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, and Science, Innovation, and Universities.

The objective of this working group is to analyze the differential impact of the climate crisis on people's health, focusing on factors such as chronic diseases, poverty, age, and degree of loneliness. Among the main identified factors affecting vulnerable groups are age, socioeconomic situation, exposure to outdoor work, and the presence of chronic diseases.

People over 65 years old, and especially those over 85, are particularly impacted due to reduced physiological capacity to adapt to extreme temperature changes. Early childhood, especially infants and children under four years old, is also included due to their underdeveloped thermoregulatory system. Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, or renal diseases increase vulnerability to extreme heat episodes. Exposure to outdoor work, especially in sectors such as agriculture and construction, also increases vulnerability to extreme heat phenomena.

The working group aims to promote measures of training, prevention, and coordination that enable a just climate adaptation, focusing especially on the most vulnerable collectives. This includes the training and capacity building of staff who directly serve vulnerable individuals, as well as strengthening coordination between public administrations, social services, healthcare entities, and third-sector organisations.

In addition, mechanisms will be implemented to ensure universal accessibility to information, both from a physical, cognitive, and technological perspective. The group will design clear, accessible, and culturally adapted messages for different vulnerability profiles, including formats understandable for the elderly, people with disabilities, or those with language barriers.

The working group also includes numerous third-sector organisations and entities linked to the care of vulnerable groups, such as the General Directorate of the IMSERSO, General Directorate of Persons with Disabilities, Commissioner of Mental Health, General Directorate of Family Diversity and Social Services, General Directorate of Animal Rights, Carlos III Health Institute, Platform of the Third Sector, Spanish Association of Pediatrics, Save The Children, Platform of Older People and Pensioners, ACCEM, Federation Red Acoge, CERMI, Red Cross, Spanish Caritas, Madrid Network for the Fight against Poverty and Social Exclusion, Provivienda, Hogar Sí, among others.

Moreover, the working group recognises that low income, energy poverty, and lack of access to adequate housing reduce the ability to protect oneself from adverse environmental conditions. As such, the policies developed by the group must focus on protecting those in a more exposed situation, reducing inequalities that amplify the effects of the climate crisis, and ensuring that the response to the climate emergency is socially equitable and leaves no one behind.

The working group also includes international members, such as Prof. Dr. Alexander Starke from the University of Leipzig, Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schwarze from TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Prof. Dr. Michael Mertig from TU Dresden, Prof. Dr. Alexander Stahr from HTWK Leipzig, and Thomas Seidel from Hermes GmbH Livestock Equipment, among others.

In conclusion, the Working Group on Vulnerabilities and Climate Change is a significant step towards ensuring a just climate adaptation that focuses on the most vulnerable collectives. By analysing the impact of the climate crisis on people's health and promoting training, prevention, and coordination measures, this group aims to strengthen the institutional response to the effects of the climate crisis on health, with a specific focus on equity.