A broad-ranging inquiry into the health impacts of climate change has been announced by the Western Australian government.
Health Minister Roger Cook says the inquiry was sparked by concerns that an increase in extreme weather events will lead to more injury and illness, including infectious diseases.
"Climate change has been called the biggest global health threat of the 21st century, and it has serious implications for the population of Western Australia and the WA health system," Mr Cook said on Sunday.
Former chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri will conduct the inquiry, which will also look at ways the health system can reduce its environmental footprint, particularly the reduction of emissions and waste.
Mr Cook said the state's health system had gone through 81 million disposable gloves, 42 million single-use items and nine million plastic items like test tubes and instrument trays in the past year.
Over the same period, it also spent $47.3 million on electricity and $17.2 million on water.
"I have called on the WA public health system, as one of the largest agencies in the state, to do more to reduce its emissions, operate more sustainably and implement adaption measures," Mr Cook said.
"To achieve this, we need to better understand the impacts of our changing climate conditions and their costs - both financial and not financial."
The inquiry's final report is due by the end of 2019 and its findings will form the basis of a new, coordinated health and climate change framework for WA.
