Effective approaches to mitigating environmental health risks require policy-level interventions. Physician participation in such policymaking—as advisors to policymakers or in other capacities can be useful in bringing attention to short- and long-term health consequences that might otherwise be overlooked. Indeed, many physicians have chosen to learn about and work to change environmental conditions that can undermine health under climate change and to speak out about these issues in public. Many have detailed the health threats posed by climate change.

The European Climate and Health Observatory (‘Observatory’) https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/observatory  is a partnership between the European Commission, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and several other organisations.

Organizations

Supporting HEALTH 

1.  Invest in climate-resilient health systems

• Develop a national health and climate change plan based on a sound understanding of the climate vulnerabilities of health systems.
• Integrate health into all hazards multisectoral policy and planning for disaster preparedness and response.
• Value health gains from carbon mitigation and adaptation policies, fossil-fuel subsidy reform and carbon pricing.

2. Develop multi-sectoral all-hazard plans

limate change is above all a question of public health. Health professionals are in the front line in responding to the harm from climate turmoil.  They have a privileged position and a moral duty to protect and promote the population’s health. Thanks to the many physicians who are taking up their responsibility as leaders on climate action, health is moving up the agenda. But it is not yet in the central place that must be achieved.

The 2021 Global Conference on Health & Climate Change with a special focus on Climate Justice and the Healthy and Green Recovery from COVID-19 will convene at the margin of the COP26 UN climate change conference on 6-7 November 2021 in Glasgow, UK. The aim of the conference is to call on governments, businesses, institutions and financial actors to drive a green, healthy and resilient recovery from COVID-19.

Members

Given the urgency of developing and deploying climate change preventive and protective measures worldwide, now is the time for health professionals around the world—to develop and rapidly scale up our efforts to protect the public’s health.

Efforts are already under way in many nations to activate health professionals as advocates for climate and health. Each of these efforts is important, but they are not yet tightly focused on achieving the global goal of limiting warming to no more than 2 °C.

Health Issues related to Climate Change

Source: The Lancet Planetary Health

Text has been edited by AALEP