Homelessness is already bad for health – but climate change is set to make things worse. That’s why the climate crisis is even more reason why homelessness must end
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More frequent extreme weather events are likely to hit people living on the streets hard. Whether it be hypothermia in freezing temperatures or overheating, sunstroke or skin cancer in extreme heat
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Homeless people are much more likely to have health conditions that make them vulnerable to the effects of heat – heatwaves are big killers in the UK, last year 2,500 excess deaths were linked to hot weather
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Homeless people are less likely to have access to a GP, drinking water or shelter/air conditioning. Other countries open up public spaces or set up cooling centres. The UK has “some catching up to do” says @crisis_uk’s @matthew_downie
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There are existing measures to help homeless people in the cold – such as the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol – while homeless people are included in Public Health England’s heatwave plan
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But climate change means risks to health will be at temperatures that are “more moderate”, says @LSHTM’s Dr Shakoor Hajat
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It’s not just people on the street who will be affected by climate change. We’ll need to rethink housing too to avoid overheating. More than 70 per cent of housing in the UK is older than 30 years old and will need retrofitting
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This means installing cooling, changing insulation and how homes are heated but could leave poorer households at risk of fuel poverty, says @TyndallCentre’s Claire Brown
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Around 4.2 million people die every year due to ambient air pollution, according to World Health Organisation. Homeless people are at a higher risk of respiratory diseases. “It’s a very reasonable assumption” that more emissions could hit homeless people
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With world leaders discussing climate change solutions at #COP26, a “shift in mindset” is needed to ensure homeless people are not left behind said @matthew_downie
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