Vector Volume 11 Issue 1 - 2017

million more people into extreme poverty by
2030 through its impact on increasing vectorborne
diseases, food insecurity, increasing the
number of climate refugees and respiratory
disease through air pollution.[3]
Dr Alessandro Demaio, Medical Doctor for
the World Health Organization (WHO) and cofounder
of NCD-Free, addressed the connection
between obesity and climate change. This is a
potentially hidden link, but one not to be ignored:
if food waste were a country, it would be the
third largest CO2 emitter.[4] He emphasised
the importance of collaboration on global
issues such as obesity and climate change,
“when it comes to NCDs and climate change,
opportunities for co-mitigation are profound and
unprecedented. Inaction cannot be an option.”
He urged us to think laterally on
the topic – both issues have
similar causes and solutions,
so how can we address them
together through lobbying, policy
change and targeted public
health strategies?
Local Solutions
In the face of impending “climate chaos”,
as it was colloquially referred to throughout
the conference, it is easy to feel overwhelmed
by the reality of climate change. Despite this,
the speakers provided messages of hope and
inspired action and empowerment through local
solutions.
Coming from a refreshingly non-medical
perspective, Tim Buckley, one of Australia’s top
financial energy analysts, provided an overview
of the progress our neighbours in India and
China are making in the renewable energy
market [5]. He outlined the importance of
knowing your audience – the motivation behind
these nations’ transition to renewables wasn’t
for health reasons, but economic reasons in
India (considering renewables cost 80% of
what it costs to import fuel) and populationdriven
air quality concerns in China. Buckley
highlighted the financial stability and success
What makes climate change so
difficult to comprehend is the lack
of a clear, single perpetrator; it
doesn’t have a face.
these nations have had since leading the way in
renewables and why it makes economic sense
for Australia to follow suit.[6] Focusing the light
on Australian shores, Dr Roger Dargaville from
the Melbourne Energy Institute outlined the
need for robust policy and strategic direction for
the Australian energy market, if we are to move
towards renewables and avoid further energy
demand issues like the recent South Australian
energy crises.
Changing Perspectives and Summary
I took away a bigger picture of how we
conceptualise climate change, and left thinking
that we need to change our perspective to
achieve true change. What makes climate
change so difficult to comprehend is the lack
of a clear, single perpetrator;
it doesn’t have a face. Without
oversimplifying complex issues,
it is clear that, for example, when
we want to blame someone for
the obesity epidemic we think
of big corporate companies like
Coco Cola or McDonalds. When we want to
blame someone for displaced people and mass
migrations, we think of war and governments.
With climate change, it isn’t as easy to play
the blame game. We can’t easily point the finger
at someone or something and say “this is the
reason why; this is the cause”. Because we can’t
readily shift the blame onto something easily
identifiable, it makes the issue less tangible
and more challenging to connect with. There is
nowhere to direct the anger and frustration at
the catastrophic changes we are seeing around
us, the natural response is to either disconnect
with the issue, or to feel overwhelmed with
despair and subsequently be driven to inaction.
In truth, we should be pointing the finger at
is ourselves. As was made abundantly clear
at the conference and in countless articles
and reviews presented by the wider scientific
community, the evidence overwhelmingly
indicates that climate change is largely human
driven, and thus we must take responsibility.[7]
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