Fight climate change and boost health - doctors
Thursday November 26th, 2009
Senior doctors weighed in behind claims that tackling climate change could improve health yesterday.
Experts argued that mankind should reduce its reliance on motor-vehicles and meat from mass-produced animals along with other measures to combat global warming.
The proposals, published in The Lancet, came as the Climate and Health Council was launched to bring together health professionals from around the world for the campaign.
Writing
in the journal, World Health Organisation director general Dr Margaret
Chan said: "First, climate change is a fundamental threat to health.
Second, strengthening control of diseases of poverty is essential to protect
the most vulnerable populations, and is a safe investment for adaptation
resources for climate change.
"Third, cutting greenhouse-gas emissions can represent a mutually reinforcing opportunity to reduce climate change and to improve public health. Health protection should therefore be one of the criteria by which mitigation measures are judged."
The Royal College of Physicians of London, UK, said it was pleased with the findings, which it helped to finance along with the Wellcome Trust.
President Professor Ian Gilmore said: "We have been on the back foot too often in portraying the issue of climate change in negative terms.
"As today's articles make clear, living within our ecological means would also mean less heart disease, cancer, obesity and respiratory illness.
"Add to this the certainty that a degraded environment will impact on the health and wellbeing of the population and we have the most urgent possible motives to pursue lower emissions."
The reports in The Lancet highlighted the health benefits of changed lifestyles.
They call for a 30 per cent reduction in agricultural livestock bred for the production of meat - linking this to improved heart health.
The report says reduced reliance on motor vehicles would see increases in walking and cycling - with further health benefits.
In developing countries, replacing solid fuel stoves would also boost health - while in fast developing countries reduced dependence on coal and oil would improve air quality, it says.
Tags: Diet & Food | Fitness | General Health | UK News | World Health
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