Stretton Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Int J Health Policy Manag. 2023;12:7193. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.2022.7193. Epub 2022 Dec 7.
This paper considers energy as a social and commercial determinant of health. Stable access to clean and sustainable energy is integral for human wellbeing yet public health rarely considers its importance.
Using NVivo qualitative analysis software we analysed all Australian federal, state and territory strategic energy policies covering varying periods between 2016-2030. We defined strategic policy as including the goals, objectives and strategies of the department regarding a specific area of policy responsibility. This criterion excluded documents such as operational guidelines. 36 energy-related policies were analyzed.
While the nature of energy supply is crucial to determining the impact of human and environmental health, our analysis showed that health and wellbeing are only rarely considered in policy. We developed a conceptual framework to guide our work linking energy policy with health. Australia's continued reliance on fossil fuels evident in the policies poses health risks, especially as climate change threatens physical and mental health. Yet health considerations were mainly absent from the policies. However, some jurisdictions (South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory [ACT]) had policies encouraging a fast move to renewables. Energy pricing was a key focus in each jurisdiction and had become highly politicalized in the past decade. Little attention was paid to equity considerations in the policies.
Energy policy would be more health promoting if public health perspectives were considered during its development. On the basis of our policy analysis and literature review we conclude with recommendations for healthy energy policy.
本文认为能源是健康的社会和商业决定因素。稳定获得清洁和可持续的能源对人类福祉至关重要，但公共卫生很少考虑其重要性。
我们使用 NVivo 定性分析软件分析了所有澳大利亚联邦、州和地区的战略能源政策，这些政策涵盖了 2016-2030 年期间的不同时间段。我们将战略政策定义为包括部门对特定政策责任领域的目标、目的和战略。这一标准排除了操作指南等文件。共分析了 36 项与能源相关的政策。
虽然能源供应的性质对人类和环境健康的影响至关重要，但我们的分析表明，健康和福利很少在政策中被考虑。我们开发了一个概念框架来指导我们的工作，将能源政策与健康联系起来。澳大利亚在政策中继续依赖化石燃料，这对健康构成了风险，尤其是因为气候变化威胁着身心健康。然而，健康方面的考虑在这些政策中主要缺失。然而，一些司法管辖区（南澳大利亚州和澳大利亚首都直辖区）有政策鼓励快速转向可再生能源。能源定价是每个司法管辖区的一个关键焦点，在过去十年中已经高度政治化。政策很少关注公平性考虑。
如果在制定能源政策时考虑公共卫生观点，能源政策将更有利于促进健康。基于我们的政策分析和文献综述，我们得出了关于健康能源政策的建议。
