The Flemish Government wants to reduce the impact of a number of environmental factors on the health of its citizens by 2030.
"Climate change brings new health risks, from heatwaves to new pathogens. In densely populated Flanders, the quality of life is under pressure from air and noise pollution," Flemish Health Minister Hilde Crevits affirmed. To this end, and in response to a request from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Crevits launched an initial climate health plan on Monday.
"Scientific knowledge about the distribution and effects of substances of concern such as PFAS and endocrine disruptors is growing systematically. By 2030, we want to reduce the impact of these various environmental factors on our health. By establishing a concrete health objective for environmental health care, we are making it a priority of Flemish health policy," the Minister explained, adding that half a million euros a year will be devoted to this.
The Flemish Plan for Health and Climate comes in response to a call from the WHO and the COP28 climate conference, currently being held in Dubai, to mitigate, monitor and remedy the impact of climate change on public health. Countries such as Ireland and Finland also already have such a plan.
One in eight lives lost
The WHO estimates that one in eight deaths in Europe is due to environmental pollution, but these could be prevented by improving the quality of the environment, the Minster insisted in a press release. She added that the environment can also have additional positive impacts and can contribute to a longer and healthier life.
For Flanders, it is estimated that heat periods alone will lead to more than 27,000 lost life years (DALYs) per year by 2050. This estimate only takes into account excess mortality without taking into account the consequences in terms of illness due to heat stress.
Many other environmental factors also result in disease and therefore faster loss of healthy life years. In the top five currently, particulate matter still comes out top, followed by endocrine disruptors, nitrogen dioxide, traffic noise and passive smoking (breathing in smoke second-hand), according to the press release.
Extreme weather events such as drought, severe storms and precipitation will also take their toll on people's health, as well as an increased risk of mental health problems.
