Editorial: Medics have duty to act
Friday, 30 Nov 2007 12:40
Health professionals have a duty to be part of the solution to the problem of climate change, some of the leading figures in the medical profession have claimed.
Dr Robin Stott of the Climate and Health Council, together with British Medical Journal (BMJ) editor Fiona Godlee and Lancet editor Richard Horton, wrote in an editorial in the BMJ that doctors' duty to protect and promote the health of the public should extend to mitigating the harm caused by climate change.
They argue that health problems are being aggravated by global warming's effect, which so far has included alterations in food production; rises in sea levels; the spread of vector-borne disease; and water shortages.
There are four ways doctors can act, they maintain, starting with the need to inform colleagues and the wider community about the health consequences of climate change.
Medics should also set an example by attempting to reduce their global footprint and encourage others in their organisation to do so.
Thirdly, the editorial says doctors need to lobby policy-makers on the importance of climate-friendly legislation and fourthly, they should use networks to encourage change.
All medical professionals are urged by the editorial to sign the Climate and Health Council declaration.
"Unless we cap carbon emissions in ways that ensure transfer of resources to the poorer nations, we may all go the way of the dinosaurs, and the going will not be comfortable," the editorial concludes.
"The Climate and Health Council will be as strong as its collective membership. By adding your voice to the council and taking the necessary actions, you can help to ensure that health professionals are, in the best of our traditions, part of the solution."
