Georgina Bedenham, Head of Climate and Disaster Risk at the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD), recently participated in an International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) webinar to discuss the links between climate change, population ageing, and health.
During the session, Ms Bedenham presented GAD's work on climate change as a compounding risk. She highlighted direct impacts such as injuries and mental health issues from flooding and storms, and increased heat-related illness from extreme heat. Indirect impacts include disruptions to healthcare delivery due to infrastructure strain or reduced healthcare budgets.
GAD has also co-developed a systems map, drawing on evidence and stakeholder engagement, to identify interconnections between climate-related hazards and mortality in the UK. The webinar provided an opportunity to share emerging findings and future plans from this project.
The discussion also included contributions from Professor Liat Ayalon, who presented a case study from Togo on climate change's effects on older persons, and Professor Torsten Kleinow, who explored the impact of heatwaves on short-term mortality spikes in Europe.