Regional Australians are the most prone to health risks caused by climate change, a group of doctors will tell federal politicians.
The National Rural Health Alliance will descend on Canberra to host a breakfast event at Parliament House on Thursday where its members will tell MPs about the impact extreme weather events will have on rural communities. Chief of the alliance Gabrielle O'Kane says the impacts of climate change on rural Australians are significant and diverse."There's the obvious fact that rural Australia is more susceptible to extreme weather events, but then there's the impact on things like food security as well as water quality and availability," Dr O'Kane said.
"And let's not forget that climate change is a risk multiplier and can worsen already substantial social and health inequalities between those in rural communities and their city counterparts."Speakers at the event will include Monash University's Sustainable Development Institute director Anthony Capon, as well as rural GP and University of Newcastle director of rural health Jenny May.