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Expert judgement reveals current and emerging UK climate-mortality burden

Mitchell, D; Lo, YTE; Ball, E; Godwin, JL; Andrews, O; Barciela, R; Ford, LB; ... Walker, JG; + view all (2024) Expert judgement reveals current and emerging UK climate-mortality burden. The Lancet Planetary Health , 8 (9) e684-e694. 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00175-X. Green open access

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Abstract

Weather and climate patterns play an intrinsic role in societal health, yet a comprehensive synthesis of specific hazard–mortality causes does not currently exist. Country-level health burdens are thus highly uncertain, but harnessing collective expert knowledge can reduce this uncertainty, and help assess diverse mortality causes beyond what is explicitly quantified. Here, surveying 30 experts, we provide the first structured expert judgement of how weather and climate directly impact mortality, using the UK as an example. Current weather-related mortality is dominated by short-term exposure to hot and cold temperatures leading to cardiovascular and respiratory failure. We find additional underappreciated health outcomes, especially related to long-exposure hazards, including heat-related renal disease, cold-related musculoskeletal health, and infectious diseases from compound hazards. We show potential future worsening of cause-specific mortality, including mental health from flooding or heat, and changes in infectious diseases. Ultimately, this work could serve to develop an expert-based understanding of the climate-related health burden in other countries.

Type: Article
Title: Expert judgement reveals current and emerging UK climate-mortality burden
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00175-X
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s2542-5196(24)00175-x
Language: English
Additional information: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. under a Creative Commons license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10196857
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