The absence of reliable access to clean energy and
the services it provides imposes a large disease burden on low-income
populations and impedes prospects for development. Furthermore,
current patterns of fossil-fuel use cause substantial ill-health
from air pollution and occupational hazards.
Impending climate change, mainly driven by energy
use, now also threatens health. Policies to promote access to non-polluting
and sustainable sources of energy have great potential both to improve
public health and to mitigate (prevent) climate disruption.
There are several technological options, policy levers,
and economic instruments for sectors such as power generation, transport,
agriculture, and the built environment.
We are undertaking research to describe the public
health implications of energy policies. Policies that reduce greenhouse
gas emissions could also substantially reduce obesity, dia-betes,
heart disease, cancer, road deaths and injuries, and air pollution.
The need for policies that prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate while addressing the energy needs
of disadvantaged people is a central challenge of the current era.
Integrated assessment of health impacts of environmental stressors:
- IntraWise (An INTegrated fRAmeWork for Improving Sustainability
of the indoor Environment)
(Pollution and the Urban Environment)
(Development of a local urban climate model and its application
to the intelligent development of cities)
- Warm Front evaluation
- Evaluation of congestion Charging Scheme in London and Low Emissions Zone
- Carson C, Hajat S, Armstrong B, Wilkinson P (2006)
Declining Vulnerability to Temperature-related mortality in London
over the 20th century. American Journal of Epidemiology;
- Hutchinson E, Wilkinson P, Hong SH, Oreszczyn T (2006)
Can we improve the identification of cold homes for targeted energy
efficiency improvements? Applied Energy; 83: 1198-2094.
- Oreszczyn T, Sung H, Ridley I, Wilkinson P (2006)
Mould and winter indoor relative humidity in low income households
in England. Journal of Indoor and Built Environment;
- Oreszczyn T, Wilkinson P, Sung H, Ridley I for the Warm
Front Study Group (2006) Determinants of winter
indoor temperatures in low income households in England.
Energy & Buildings; 38(3): 245-252.
- Haines A, Smith KR, Anderson D, Epstein R, McMichael
AJ, Roberts I, Wilkinson P, Woodcock J, Woods J
(2007) Policies for accelerating access to clean energy,
improving health, advancing development, and mitigating climate
change. The Lancet; 370(9594): 1264-81; doi 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61257-4.
- Wilkinson P, Smith KR, Joffe M, Haines A (2007)
A global perspective on energy: health effects and injustices.
The Lancet; 370(9591): 965-78 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61252-5
- Markandya A, Wilkinson P (2007) Electricity
generation and health. The Lancet; 370(9591): 979-90
- Wilkinson P, Smith KR, Beevers S, Tonne C, Oreszczyn
T (2007) Energy, energy efficiency and the built environment.
The Lancet; 370(9593): 1175-87 doi 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61255-0.
- Wilkinson P (2007) Energy efficiency and the health
of older people. In: Dangour A, Grundy E, Fletcher A (editors)
Ageing well: nutrition, health and social intervention.
London: CRC Press LLC; pp 103-15.
- Barratt B, Atkinson R, Anderson HR, Beevers S, Kelly F, Mudway
I, Wilkinson P (2007) Investigation into the
use of the CUSUM technique in identifying changes in mean air
pollution levels following introduction of a traffic management
scheme. Atmospheric Environment; 41(8): 1784-1791.
- Wilkinson P (2008) Climate change & health:
the case for sustainable development. Medicine,
Conflict and Survival; 24(2, suppl): April-June.
- Roberts I (2008) The economics of tackling
climate change. BMJ; 336(7637):165-6.
- Tonne C, Beevers S, Armstrong B, Kelly F, Wilkinson P
(2008) Air pollution and mortality benefits of the
London Congestion Charge: spatial and socioeconomic inequalities.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine; 65(9): 620-7.