“Climate Change and Health” report

Climate change has become one of the most important environmental issues in recent decades, but its effects on human, animal, and plant health, compared to other also important issues, have received little attention so far. Numerous international studies and publications have been prepared to assess the health risks of climate change on a global scale, so it has become increasingly justified to prepare entitled “Climate Change and Health” specifically on the situation in Hungary, summarizing international and domestic scientific results. In July 2020, the Ministry of Human Capacities State Secretariat for Health commissioned the Eötvös Loránd Research Network Centre for Social Sciences to prepare a report on this issue. The Institute of Sociology has been conducting research on the relationship between climate change and social change for more than 20 years, some of which is closely related to the topic of “Climate Change and Health”. In order to develop the widest possible collaboration, the Research Center has invited renowned experts in the various fields of natural and social sciences to contribute to the Report and a Handbook, which presents some feasible programs and proposals that can be used to reduce the health risks of climate change.

The Report, the Executive Summary of the Report, and the Handbook are available on the website of the Research Center, but only in Hungarian.

Report: https://tk.hu/uploads/files/2020/eghajlatvaltozas_egeeszseg_jelentes.pdf

Executive Summary: https://tk.hu/uploads/files/2020/eghajlatvaltozas_egeszseg_vezetoi.pdf

Handbook: https://tk.hu/uploads/files/2020/eghajlatvalt_egeszseg_kezikonyv.pdf

The key finding of the Report is that climate change is already threatening human, animal, and plant health. Based on the forecasts, it can be assured that this danger will increase in all countries, including Hungary in the coming years and decades. Based on the results, adaptation to further expected changes in nature is possible if eco- and climate-conscious social values and norms are strengthened at the individual, family community, and social levels, and as a result, local communities and societies live in peace with nature again.

We hope that the Report and the Handbook will contribute to reducing the health risks of climate change and building a broad social partnership.