People with an interest in public health, climate change and new media start ups will participate in a workshop in Melbourne today to brainstorm ideas for a new online publication on climate change and health (as previously reported at Croakey).

(If you’d like to participate virtually, please contact me before 11am).

It is timely, given the launch this week in Sydney of a new global network of hospitals and healthcare organisations that have committed to working together to reduce the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector.

The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network will work on a comprehensive framework for hospitals and health systems to achieve greater sustainability and to contribute to improved public environmental health. The ten action areas include reducing waste, minimising the use of harmful chemicals, increasing energy efficiency and buying safer and more sustainable products.

Meanwhile, to help today’s workshop participants and also for the interest of general readers, below is a rather long list of recent publications and resources related to climate change and health.

• Conveying the Human Implications of Climate Change: A Climate Change Communication Primer for Public Health Professionals (PDF alert)
By Edward Maibach at George Mason University and colleagues

The primer aims to answer the following questions:
1) WHY should public health professionals communicate about climate change?
2) With WHOM should public health professionals communicate about climate change?
3) HOW should public health professionals communicate so as to be most effective?

More resources are at George Mason University’s site.

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• Connecting the Global Climate Change and Public Health Agendas
An article in PLos Medicine
By Nilsson M, Evengård B, Sauerborn R, Byass P

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• Reframing climate change could deliver health benefits
The Conversation
By Marion Carey, VicHealth Senior Research Fellow at Monash University

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• Scholars’ Research Offers Insight into Future Debate over Climate Change
A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report on recent research

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• Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math
A Rolling Stone article by Bill McKibben

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• Global Warming’s “Six Americas” (PDF alert)
A national study by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication identified six distinct climate change groups within the American public, ranging from “the Alarmed” to “the Dismissive.” This report profiles these six different audiences and suggests ways to improve education and communication efforts to engage them.

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• What Australians think about climate change
The latest report from the Climate Institute’s annual report on climate attitudes is out:

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• Our Uncashed Dividend
The Climate and Health Alliance and The Climate Institute have released a joint report on the health benefits of climate action.
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• Two series of articles in The Lancet on energy and health, and climate change and health.

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• A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change: A Report Outlining the Research Needs on the Human Health Effects of Climate Change (PDF)
A US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences report

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• Psychology and Global Climate Change: Addressing a Multi-faceted Phenomenon and Set of Challenges
A Report by the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change

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The Psychology of Climate Change Communication: A Guide for Scientists, Journalists, Educators, Political Aides, and the Interested Public
A guide from The Center for Environmental Decisions at Columbia University issued this guide, which details many of the biases and barriers to scientific communication and information processing.

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• Health Problems Heat Up: Climate Change and the Public’s Health
Trust for America’s Health brief

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• World Health Organization climate change and health resources and a toolkit

resource includes key messages for communicating the human health implications of climate change, training, partnerships, publications, and links to relevant websites.

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To follow the session on Twitter, check #CHnews and #newnews.