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Carbon pricing is a health protection policy

Philippa L Howden-Chapman, Ralph B Chapman, Anthony G Capon and Nick Wilson
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (6): . || doi: 10.5694/mja11.10871
Published online: 19 September 2011

A carbon price is vital for the public good; complementary policies should protect low-income households

Anticipating the Australian Government’s announcement of a carbon tax, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) stated that, while it accepted the need to take action on climate change, it recommended caution about a carbon tax because it could exacerbate health inequalities.1 Some in the media inferred that the RACP’s primary concern was the potentially negative health impact of a carbon tax.2


  • 1 University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • 2 School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • 3 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.



Competing interests:

Anthony Capon resigned as chair of the RACP climate change working group on 18 May 2011.

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