OPINION of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety

Climate change, defined as a change in the state of the climate that persists for an extended period, is part of “global change”. Sometimes referred to as “global environmental change”, this was defined by the Working Group in charge of the expert appraisal as all major worldwide environmental and societal changes caused by human activities as well as natural factors. Among other things, climate change is likely to affect human health, with specific or compounded effects on the health of certain professionals. French Planning Law No 2009-967 of 3 August 2009 on the implementation of the Grenelle environmental round table provided for the preparation of a PNACC as part of the State's commitment to climate change adaptation in France. In 2011, following a broad consultation, France drew up an inter-sector and inter-ministerial PNACC drawing together recommendations translated into action sheets for a five-year period. The sheet relating to health issues included an action on the development of preventive health measures that take into account the consequences of extreme events and the adaptation of vigilance and alert systems. Action 4, Measure 4.2 aimed to strengthen the management of occupational risks posed by climate change.