Last month, we launched a talkhealth members’ survey to gather data on our community’s perceptions of climate change and how it relates to their health. Largely, the data shows that even though the majority of people believe more needs to be done to help the planet, they are not confident in their wider knowledge of the climate emergency. 

Most people (89%) have adapted their lifestyles to tackle climate change and believe they have a personal responsibility to do their bit (90%). That said, more than half of respondents (58%) feel they could be more well-informed of the potential health impacts of climate change. 

When it comes to health, 85% of people are concerned about the potential health effects of climate change and a substantial portion of respondents (77%) say that the perceived threat of climate change has influenced their mental health and anxiety. 

However, when quizzed on whether climate change has had a direct effect on their personal health, over 40% of people (46%) are unsure or have not been affected. This proves that although people are conscious of the effects of global warming; they may not be aware how symptoms materialise or are more worried for the future.  

Other key findings include:  

• A third of people (37%) are unsure whether climate change is having a negative impact on the health of young people however a similar amount (31%) cite that it has affected older relatives detrimentally.  
• Most people (68%) believe that climate change will have affect global health ‘a great deal’ in the next 50 years whilst only 20% believe it is affecting people right now, increasing to 31% believing it will take effect in the next five years. This shows that people are less aware of the urgency of climate change on health today.