Thread by @AlisonSBarrett

The #HEAL2022 breakout sessions are about to begin.

I'm going to live-tweet the session on bushfires, air pollution & extreme weather events & rural & remote health.

I would like to acknowledge I live & work on Kaurna country and pay respects to Elders past and present.

Prof Fay Johnston @UTAS_ is chairing the session with A/Prof Geoffrey Morgan @Sydney_Uni

Overview of session
👇
#HEAL2022

Follow @CroakeyNews for live-tweets from other breakout sessions #HEAL2022

The first speaker in the session is Cristobal De La Maza zooming in from Chile who is going to speak to a presentation titled: Policy interventions for air quality and climate

#HEAL2022

Although some cities have worse levels of air pollution, Chile maintains critical levels of air pollution, particularly in the southern region – De La Maza #HEAL2022

The problem in the southern region is that the main polluter are households– challenging to legislate.

87% of household emissions come from firewood use, associated with 2000 premature deaths per year – De La Maza #HEAL2022

Emissions are associated with urban and bushfires.
After 3 decades of regulations in Santiago, air pollution has improved – De La Maza #HEAL2022

Decontamination plants have helped improve air quality.

The energy sector is the largest emitter of black carbon – De La Maza #HEAL2022

An emission tax was implemented a few years back, based on population levels in district - incentive to reduce air pollution in certain areas – De La Maza #HEAL2022

Future challenges – social commotion, regulations are becoming more costly, some sectors rejecting regulations – De La Maza #HEAL2022

Q- how do you change people's behaviour and desire for wood fires, so common in Australia?
A- in Chile, they legislate firewood, but is extremely hard & multiple strategies are required, De La Maza acknowledges #HEAL2022

The next speaker is Prof Ross Bailie @Sydney_Uni to discuss lessons and challenges from the Northern River region's floods.

#HEAL2022 #Floods2022

Floods of 2017 & 2022, as well as fires in 2020 have been major climate events in the Northern Rivers regions – Bailie #HEAL2022

People living in rural & regional locations in Australia and across globe generally experience health inequities. Gradient in access and quality of healthcare.

Northern Rivers region experiences great inequities – Bailie #HEAL2022

Natural disasters expose the inequities, impacts on health are greater for those least able to cope and for groups that already face greater health challenges.

Example of a triple whammy – Bailie #HEAL2022

Impacts have been different for different regions in Northern Rivers regions due to:
- local response & capacity
- different weather events
- fear, loss of property, grief, distress response
– Bailie #HEAL2022

During these events, health services and accessing healthcare is not front of mind. Immediate survival and response become more prominent – Bailie #HEAL2022

Focus shifts to rebuilding infrastructure.

Impacts on health services include damage to infrastructure & records, limited access, increase in flood-related injuries – Bailie #HEAL2022

People's housing losses mean patients cannot be discharged from healthcare.

Local community based and co-design research following 2017 Northern regions floods resulted in prompt data, collaborations & submissions to inquiries – Bailie #HEAL2022

3 key findings from research
1) length of displacement of homes is related to poorer mental health
2) community connectedness is protective - important to protect social capital for recovery
– Bailie #HEAL2022

3) higher risk groups need to be included in planning for climate emergency events
– Bailie #HEAL2022

General challenges for climate research in the rural context = each rural community is different, local presence and relationship determines level of engagement, reaching different priority groups may require different resources, skills, resources...
– Bailie #HEAL2022

Research grant funding and timelines place challenges on project completion
– Bailie #HEAL2022

One advantage for research with local rural researchers include local knowledge, but during climate emergency event may not have capacity to take on research efforts & other pressing demands.
– Bailie #HEAL2022

Metro/urban researchers miss local knowledge and connections to communities.
"Good will and enthusiasm can place additional harms on communities" – Bailie #HEAL2022

Research agenda is very large and complex. Some questions to consider: How do we determine research priorities? Who should determine research priorities? And what methods are most appropriate?
– Bailie #HEAL2022

Next speaker in this session is Dr Nicole Vargas @ANU_ICEDS

Title: A Conceptual Model for Defining Vulnerability to Extreme Heat and Heatwaves

#HEAL2022

No doubt that Australia is likely to experience more extreme heatwaves in coming years.

Between 2000 and 2018, 354 official heatwave related deaths were recorded in Australia
- Vargas #HEAL2022

Understanding individual, epidemiological and socioeconomic vulnerability is important to mitigate impacts from extreme heat
- Vargas #HEAL2022

At individual level, vulnerability to extreme heat is physiological - total health loss capacity

Physiological vulnerabilities may be due age or medications & subsequent changes to behavioural pathways (ie ability to sweat)
- Vargas #HEAL2022

One person can have multiple factors - this increases their individual vulnerability to extreme heat - Vargas #HEAL2022

Vargas speaks about research by Quilty et al (2022) in Northern Territory. Adequate housing is critical to mitigating risk to extreme heat.
#HEAL2022

- Vargas #HEAL2022

Multiple factors lead to greater risk from extreme heat.

More targeted public health messaging required to get this message across.

- Vargas #HEAL2022

Protecting human health = policy is protection

- Vargas #HEAL2022

Final presentation in this session is by Hasini Gunasiri & Teresa Capetola @Deakin

#HEAL2022

Project came about after people in environmental sector expressed despair over the work they were doing due negative feedback from communities and degradation of environment.
– Capetola #HEAL2022

Research found that most environmental workers are in their jobs because of the passion for the environment - "central within a web of double-edged risk and supportive factors which creates a unique, entangled set of factors for mental health"
– Capetola #HEAL2022

A webinar was delivered to environmental sector in Victoria following the below agenda
– Capetola #HEAL2022

Short report of findings
– Capetola @deakin #HEAL2022
iht.deakin.edu.au/wp-content/upl…

@threadreaderapp unroll pls