Climate change, health and the value of nature

Climate change has been identified by some as the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century. However, our environment is changing in many other ways which may prove equally challenging. For example, environmental pollutants, biodiversity loss, food security and our unsustainable energy requirements may ultimately pose severe threats to our health and wellbeing. If climate change were not occurring it still seems unlikely that our future would be secure. Human demographics are also undergoing rapid change. The proportion of the population considered to be elderly is increasing, obesity and psychiatric disorders are becoming more common and lifestyles are altering so that many more people are living alone. In this presentation, the interconnections among these issues will be examined and some of the potential consequences explored. Also, the value of natural environments will be considered in relation to the challenges that we face.