17th January 2025
The Californian wildfires that have devastated lives and livelihoods since 7 January, and are still burning at the time of writing with more high winds forecast over the coming days, are another stark example of climate change. It is one example of multiple extreme weather events that have occurred over the last year, one in which global average temperatures exceeded 1.5C for 11 months of the year – the hottest year on record. Today, its been reported that CO2 emissions reached record highs last year. Climate change is a reality today that we must adapt to and a threat to our future survival that we must continue to shout as loud as we can for urgent action to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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News and updates
Government urged to consider health impacts in oil and gas assessments
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has called for the health impacts of scope 3 emissions from oil and gas projects to be central to environmental assessments. The call comes in response to a government consultation on updating the current Environment Impact Assessment guidance. Read the response here.
Government urged to stop multi-million pound campaign promoting meat and dairy
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has joined with more than 40 health, environmental, dietary and animal protection groups to call on the government to stop a campaign promoting meat and dairy being run by a government-sponsored agency. Find out more.
WInd power
In three pieces of good wind-powered news… Wind power was the UK’s largest source of electricity in 2024, accounting for 30%. In Scotland a former opencast coal mine is being transformed into a battery storage facility that will be used to store excess power from windfarms sufficient to power three million homes. And in Ireland, the High Court has ruled that the planning board must prioritise climate law in wind farm planning decisions.
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Have your say
Ask your MP to set a vision for a low traffic future
The UK Government has invited the public to suggest ideas for a ‘vision-led’ integrated National Transport Strategy for England, which will be published later this year. The Scottish and Welsh Governments have already set targets to reduce car traffic, this will be England’s first integrated transport strategy for 27 years. Ideas must be submitted by the end of January. The Low Traffic Future Alliance has produced a template letter to enable you to write to your MP urging them to press Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to set out a vision that give us real choice in how we make our day-to-day journeys and reduce car dependency. Write to your MP here.
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Opportunities/Get involved
Clean Air Night 2025
Clean Air Night takes place on 22 January. The campaign focuses around the health and environmental harms of wood burning. For the same amount of heat or energy, burning wood releases more carbon emissions than oil or gas, and also produces particulate matter that enters the bloodstream when inhaled and is linked to heart and lung disease, diabetes and dementia. The campaign seeks to raise awareness and spark conversation about wood burning. Find out more.
Call for submissions: Special Issue on Climate Change and Health
Oxford Open Climate Change is inviting submissions for a new special collection “Health in a Changing Climate”. Whether your research targets local health clinics or transnational health policies, investigates the impacts of climate change on health, or looks at interventions around these impacts, various research scopes and scales, submissions are welcome. Submissions from early-career researchers, research targeting regions most affected by climate change and ‘outside-the-box’ scholarly work are encouraged. Submit your contribution by 31 January 2025 and be a part of shaping the future of low-carbon, climate-resilient health systems. Further details are available here.
Climate and Health Award: Advancing climate mitigation solutions with health co-benefits in low- and middle-income countries
Wellcome has announced a funding opportunity which aims to generate evidence on the health effects of climate change mitigation interventions in LMICs. The award will support transdisciplinary research teams, led by an applicant based at an LMIC organisation, to investigate the health, social, and economic impacts of planned or implemented greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. The goal is to produce evidence that reflects local priorities and drives positive climate and health outcomes. The preliminary application deadline is 18 February 2025. Read more here.
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Events and courses
EVENTS
29 January | Online
Ultra Processed Food: A threat to human and planetary health
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow is organising this webinar to share the latest updates and potential solutions to the impact of ultra-processed food on planetary and human health. Register here.
10 February 2.30-2.00pm | Online
Introducing the new ICS Clean Air Framework Online Tool
Global Action Plan (GAP) has produced an Integrated Care System Clean Air Framework to support the NHS to take action to clean up the air. GAP is holding a webinar to explain more about the framework and provide a walkthrough of how to use the online tool. Register here to hear from GAP and other speakers about how you can clean the air in your region: or get in touch with cleanerair@globalactionplan.org.uk if you’d like to find out more about the tool and the webinar.
COURSES
Becoming a Climate Champion
The “Becoming a Climate Champion” e-course by the UN CC: Learn and UN Climate Change’s Youth4Capacity strives to empower you to put in place or ramp up your climate initiatives by enhancing your skills in five key areas: leadership, project management, resource mobilisation, leave no one behind and communications. Access the course here.
CPDMatch: Climate change education for the healthcare industry
CPDmatch is a not-for-profit website for healthcare professionals, employing organisations and supplier industries to find the educational resources required to deliver net zero sustainable healthcare and become confident in communicating and inspiring others to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. More information is available here.
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New resources
New Wikipedia page on effects of climate change on health in the UK
A new Wikipedia page highlights the health impacts of climate change in the UK. It provides comprehensive and evidence-based information to the public. The UKHACC has contributed to its writing. Read more here.
Championing Nature for a Healthy Future: Public Health Wales’ Biodiversity Action Plan 2024-2027
Public Health Wales’s latest report highlights biodiversity’s role in health, with updates on progress since 2019, and key actions for the next three years. The plan stresses the importance of collaboration across the public health system and other sectors to drive meaningful change. Read the report here.
New report: How have the UK public been affected by extreme heat and what do they think about the risks it poses for the future.
A new report by the Grantham Institute presents public opinion data that highlights how current climate adaptation plans are regarded as being insufficient and how extreme temperatures risk increasing the pressure on the NHS and negatively affecting productivity of the UK workforce. Read the report and summary of key findings here.
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Articles, podcasts and videos
We’ve pulled together a list of recent articles, podcasts and videos worth reading, watching, listening and sharing.
- This article by Anandita Pattnaik explains how the climate crisis is affecting our food supplies
- This video provides a peek into the many brilliant MPs championing the science-led Climate and Nature Bill
- Read this CarbonBrief analysis on the 5 key takeaways from the IPBES report.
- Watch this video to learn more about the uncomfortable truth of domestic woodburning
- Check out this new Real Zero Podcast series which brings together ICU consultant and climate change expert Prof Hugh Montgomery and prevention specialist, filmmaker and sportsman Dr Daniel Grant to explore the critical intersection of climate change and health.
- This analysis by Climate Outreach presents the 25 most talked about climate related papers over the last year.
- This opinion piece by Bob Ward in the Big Issue on why there’s reason to be hopeful in tackling climate change in 2025.
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Please share
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If you’ve got information about resources, campaigns, or events you would like to be included in the next edition, please send them to info@ukhealthalliance.org. The next bulletin will be published on 14 February 2025.