GOING GREEN – June 2024

By Diana Barnett

According to Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, health is the untold story when we are talking about our changing climate.

The negative impacts on health, wellbeing and inequality through climate change was only recognised last year when COP made its first ever health declaration.

Mr Azhar in his written report has described how the health of people in Oxfordshire has been affected by the changes in climate and climate action is the means to deliver better health for local people faster and more fairly. At the same time as improving health for all, local politicians and decision-makers can look after our environment and reduce emissions both in Oxfordshire and nationally.

His is not a political argument but using evidence points to how problematic weather events are becoming more frequent. Since 2007 there have been at least 18 severe flood events, eight cold snaps, four major heatwaves and three periods of drought in the county. Each of which can have a huge knock on effect for the people most affected – physically, mentally and financially.

Apparently in 2022 there were 65 excess deaths during periods of higher temperatures across Oxfordshire and in 2019 an estimated 2,300 years of healthy life was lost due to air pollution in Oxford. (Makes you wonder about Henley town centre with its queues of traffic at all the traffic lights.)

During the heatwave in September 2023 the total ambulance demand in Oxfordshire increased by over eight per cent for life threatening and emergency calls.

Mr Azhar maintains that acting on climate change has the potential for many immediate positive health benefits for everyone of all ages. Not just individuals making changes but organisations and local authorities which will help us all in the long run to improve our health, our environment and save money. We have to all work together.

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The present legislation to protect the environment and reduce emissions to keep global temperatures from rising further is not working – and not fit for purpose. There is a campaign, Zero Hour, which is calling on all parties to support a new UK law, the Climate and Nature Bill, which addresses climate change, global warming, and the nature crisis in line with the most up-to-date science.

In the build up to the General Election, Zero Hour is asking people to ask our prospective parliamentary candidates to back the Climate and Nature Bill if they get elected. If you want to find out more please look at zerohour.uk

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Uncle Tom, my mum’s uncle, was a London dustman in the mid- 1900’s. When I was a young girl, I remember him describing the dustcarts drawn by horses and later the lorries being backed up to the River Thames to discharge all the rubbish into the river. At the time (in the 60’s) this seemed quite shocking to us.

The household rubbish in the mid twentieth century would not have contained all the plastic packaging and harmful chemicals that today’s household discards. Also the quantity of rubbish from each household would have been much less than the rubbish we generate today. But it was still bad.

Just imagine how horrified we would be to see our weekly refuse being poured into the Thames. But what are we doing to our river now? Is it alright to open the sewers during heavy rainfall and allow the fouling of the waters?

We know the excess water has to go somewhere and our sewage treatment centres are not able to cope but this has been the case for a long time now. Our sewage system is outdated built in an age when we did not use as much water and our population was smaller.

As time passes the situation worsens. This needs everyone to put their heads together and come up with a proper plan to resolve this – that’s all parties, political and organisations, businesses, councils and residents. Perhaps another subject to discuss with our prospective candidates.

One small change we can all make is to watch our home consumption of water …

• 4 minute showers
• don’t leave the tap running when cleaning your teeth
• make sure the washing machine has a full load
• invest in a water butt for watering your plants if you haven’t got one
• With lots more like that, please let us know your suggestions

I haven’t mentioned Henley’s Great Big Green Week this time as this column was written prior to the event. I hope that lots of you managed to join in with some of the events and that you gained from the experience.