Cut consumption to tackle climate change - 200 medical journals
Monday September 6th 2021
High income countries must cut consumption to enable the world to tackle the threat of climate change, 220 medical journals say today.
The journals today call for global “emergency action” as the United Nations General Assembly gathers today.
They hope the gathering will lead to world leaders making plans for “ambitious” responses to the climate crisis when the COP26 climate conference gathers in Glasgow in November.
Alongside The Lancet and The BMJ, signatories of the call include the East African Medical Journal, the Chinese Science Bulletin, Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica and the National Medical Journal of India.
According to the journals, governments need to redesign transport, cities, production and distribution of food and health systems.
The call is backed by the World Health Organization and its director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The risks posed by climate change could dwarf those of any single disease. The COVID-19 pandemic will end, but there is no vaccine for the climate crisis. The IPCC report shows that every fraction of a degree hotter endangers our health and future. Similarly, every action taken to limit emissions and warming brings us closer to a healthier and safer future.”
BMJ editor in chief Dr Fiona Godlee said: "Health professionals have been on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis. And they are united in warning that going above 1.5C and allowing the continued destruction of nature will bring the next, far deadlier crisis.
“Wealthier nations must act faster and do more to support those countries already suffering under higher temperatures. 2021 has to be the year the world changes course - our health depends on it."
Dr Richard Smith, chair of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, said: "Health professionals have long been concerned about the harm to health from climate change, but our voices have not been heard clearly in the global debate. This unprecedented joint publication shows our global concern and how we want to be part of acting on climate change."
Tags: General Health | World Health
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