He Science Communication Center of the Autonomous University announced the results of its First public perception survey of the relationship between climate change and Health in Chilewhich seeks to explore and understand The risk sensations in the different geographical and socioeconomic contexts with respect to this matter.
The survey was conducted through a preconfigured online panel, to women and men over 18 years of all socioeconomic levels and all regions of the country, In December 2024. The sample includes 1,295 responses, representing 86.2% of the Chilean population, while their margin of error is 2.72%.
Among the main results, they include that only 17% of respondents know the term “planetary health”far from 63% who say they don’t know what this concept implies. In turn, a 81% say they agree that climate change has an impact on physical health of people, being the citizens of the north of the country who most perceive it (84%), 10% more than the southern people.
Faced with the question “What events related to climate change perceive that they have the greatest impact on people’s health?” drought and decreased water availability lead the answers with 25%followed by air, soil and water pollution (22%) and heat waves (16%).
Finally, it is women who declare the most to notice any change in their health that could be related to climate change. 43% say they have noticed a change, compared to 35% of men.
All survey results will be presented next May 8in it “Planetary Health: What are we doing to adapt to heat waves?”organized by the Science Communication Center of the Autonomous University and that will have as main guests the governor of the Metropolitan Region, Claudio Orrego; to the National Coordinator of the Green Infrastructure Strategy and nature-based solutions (Minvu-Fao) Paulina Terra Rosas; Already Carlos Faerron, associate director of the Planetary Health Alliance and academic at Maryland University, United States.
“Within the framework of our effort to promote an integral understanding of planetary health, highlighting How the deterioration of human health is closely linked to the degradation of natural ecosystems, From the Science Communication Center we organize this instance of understanding and debate, which will also allow us to know the results of our survey, but also various initiatives that are being carried out in our country to deal with heat waves, increasingly frequent and lethal, ”explained Dinka Acevedo, director of the Science Communication Center.
The Vice Chancellor for Research and PhD from the Autonomous University, Iván Suazo, stressed that “in order to carry out better communication strategies on climate change and its impacts, it is essential to know the perception of citizenship in this area, in addition to generating new partners and alliances. In that sense, I also want to highlight our incorporation into the planetary Health Alliance, which has more than 500 members of 80 countries new spaces for conversation and communication about climate change and planetary health ”.
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