Factors in the natural and built environment have direct and indirect effects on human health which can be immediate or long-term. In rural areas issues as diverse as land use, agricultural practice, water quality and biodiversity all affect human health. People in urban and built environments are affected by air and water quality, transport choice, urban form and environmental health infrastructure.

The effects on human health of global phenomena such as population growth and climate change are also recognised at a local level. Potential health impacts include direct (e.g. increasing number of heatwaves and air pollution from bushfires) and indirect (increases in food- and water-borne diseases, increasing prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases from changes to natural ecological systems).

Environmental Health

Data for NSW

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