WHY?
Our civilisation, and with it our health and survival, is now under immediate threat:
- The food industry warns that that our food supply can no longer be relied upon.
- The UK Joint Intelligence Committee review stated, this year, that: “The UK’s national security is under severe threat from the climate crisis and the looming collapse of vital natural ecosystems, with food shortages and economic disaster potentially just years away”.
- DEFRA state that it was “almost certain” that “by 2030…Britain’s food and water supply and international trade networks are at strategic risk of catastrophic failure”.
- Actuaries warn “Without immediate transformative change, our economy may not exist at all”.
The Threat today
Greenhouse gases (GHG) now trap 14.8 Hiroshima Bomb’s worth of energy in our atmosphere every single second. This had already driven atmospheric temperatures up by 1.63oC by 2023, and we may breach 1.7-1.8 oC within 14 months. Talk of ‘being able to stay below 1.5 oC’ is thus erroneous. The failure to report the breach is because the ‘Paris Deal’ of 2012 measures 20 year rolling averages, which cannot reflect fast-moving change.
Emissions are still rising
Last year, GHG emissions totalled nearly 60Gt of CO2e.
Worse, the concentration levels of GHG are rising faster than emissions because sinks are failing and multiple positive feedback loops have been triggered, where heat drives other GHG emissions including warming tundra, which is now respiring, CO2 release from fires and rainforests which have now become net CO2 emitters.
Worse still: heating is rising faster than GHG concentrations
- Loss of surface albedo means that we are reflecting less light back into space (as we lose tree cover, snow and ice)
- Loss of low altitude cloud – here and here
But if this is bad, we have grossly underestimated the hazards associated with any temperature rise. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report sets out how what was once thought to require above 5°C of warming is now assessed at close to 2°C.
And we have passed/ will soon pass irreversible tipping points such as the loss of coral reefs, the weakening of AMOC and the loss of the Amazon which may soon be triggered.
Our very civilisation, and with it our health and survival, is under immediate threat.
HOW?
UKHACC members should lead by example by taking action to reduce their own carbon footprints, and use their influence to encourage the members they represent to do so too.
Professional Voice
UKHACC members should:
- Provide backing and resources for sustainability special interest groups to lead climate action on behalf of the organisation.
- Use positional authority and influence to advocate for overcoming barriers to climate action.
- Focus on the areas which are the cause of the biggest carbon footprint in their area and lead on the development and implementation of plans to address them.
- For those involved in education and standards, include developing competencies in clinical sustainability as essential for trainees.
- Embed progress on climate action into existing governance processes.
- Include objectives for climate action within job descriptions for office holders.
Political
UKHACC members collectively represent 55 healthcare organisations and 1.2 million healthcare professionals. Together they have significant power and influence to advocate for change. They should:
- Provide backing as signatories to UKHACC campaigns to encourage greater political support for climate action or on specific climate and health issues.
- Promote campaigns to members.
- Leverage their networks and influence to raise greater awareness of campaigns more widely.
- Make the public health case and communicate with the public over the need for climate action.
Public Voices
Research has illustrated the key role health professionals can play in advancing equitable climate and health policies in the communities. Health professionals are a trusted voice that people listen to.
By leading your own initiatives, collaborating with partners, getting involved in campaigns and demonstrating leadership, healthcare professionals can be highly influential in identifying where progress can be made, and taking action.
Health at the mercy of fossil fuels
Cradle to Grave
