The catastrophic 2019-20 bushfire season directly killed 33 people and caused an estimated 417 excess deaths due to smoke exposure.

In a recent editorial, editors of The Lancet and MJA noted that despite the Black Summer fatalities, and the Royal Commission’s final report identifying climate change as a key driver of the disaster, Australia still does not have a national plan to address the health consequences of climate change.

“We remain hopeful all Australian governments will aspire to the leadership shown nationally with the COVID-19 pandemic and effectively deal with climate change now, understanding the major health risks of neglecting this issue,” wrote Professor Nick Talley and colleagues.

“Australia should as a priority establish a National Health and Climate Change Centre within the Australian Government Department of Health to develop a National Plan for Health and Climate Change with real-time monitoring.”

Read the article on the Medical Republic website, featuring Dr Arnagretta Hunter