Climate catastrophe and the consequences for health in the UK

This chapter discusses climate change in the United Kingdom in relation to the health of its people. I begin with a brief discussion of the nature of the existing and predicted impacts of climate change in the UK alongside a history of the politics of climate change in the UK and an overview of government climate change mitigation policy (and particularly its inadequacies). The chapter then concerns itself with the present and future impacts of climate change on human health in the UK. I examine the impacts of exposure to extreme heat, flooding, and disruption to health services as key examples of the negative impacts of climate change on health. Relatedly, I discuss the uneven distribution of the health risks associated with climate change according to socio-economic status. Finally, I consider benefits for human health that emerge from climate change mitigation strategies and the associated decarbonisation of the economy.