UKHACC Bulletin March 2024
February 2024 was the hottest on record with the average global temperature 1.77C above the pre-industrial average. This trend of record-breaking temperatures is set to continue. The implications for health are significant – both in relation to caring for people harmed by short- and long-term impacts of climate change and on the resilience of our environments. Government elections provide an opportunity for people to have their say on what matters to them and it is critical that health professionals are part of the conversation to raise awareness of the links between climate change, nature loss and health.
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News and updates
The Census of Doctors reveals the impact of inequalities
The latest census of doctors by the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians has found that illnesses caused by socio-economic factors including living in mouldy homes, lack of access to healthy food, and air pollution are significantly contributing to the workload of physicians. More than half (55%) of physicians have seen more patients with ill health caused or worsened by the preventable wider determinants of health such as poor housing and air quality. Find out more here.
ATACH Global Meeting: Transforming health systems in the face of climate change
The first in-person Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) meeting was held in Madrid, Spain on 4 and 5th March 2024. The members of ATACH discussed and shared technical expertise and local experiences in building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems. They also discussed how the ATACH would proceed further building on the health outcomes of COP26, COP27, and COP28 (especially the health day). The UKHACC was represented in the meeting by our trustee Rose Gallagher. The recording of the session can be viewed here.
Left Out in the Cold: The Hidden Impact of Cold HomesA new report by Angela Donkin, Michael Marmot and Friends of the Earth found that almost 10 million households in the UK are living in cold, damp and poorly insulated homes. The report also has a set of recommendations to target the drivers of cold homes such as retrofitting, reducing poverty and social prescription. Read the full report here.
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Have your say
Consultation: Climate change – National Adaptation Plan 2024 to 2029
The Scottish government has opened a consultation to seek views on climate adaptation. The effects of climate change are already being felt by people in Scotland. That is why it is necessary to take simultaneous steps to reduce emissions and to adapt to climate change. The call for consultation closes on 24 April 2024 and can be viewed here.
#StopRosebank legal action against the government
The UK government has approved Equinor’s massive Rosebank oil field. The climate and health impacts of this project are devastating. To meet the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, there can be no new investment in fossil fuels. The #StopRosebank campaign is taking the government to court over its decision to approve Rosebank. Find out more here.
Sign open letter to tell your election candidates to back the Climate & Ecology Bill
Zero Hour UK has launched its general election campaign to build support for the Climate and Ecology Bill. You can sign the open letter to ask candidates from your constituency to support the CE Bill.
Sign an open letter for Nature 2030
The Nature 2030 campaign by the Wildlife and Countryside Link calls for 5 key actions from politicians in the next general election to ensure the government fulfils its pledge to manage 30% of the UK’s land and sea for nature and hits its legally binding target to halt wildlife decline by 2030. You can support the Nature 2030 campaign by adding your name to this open letter which calls on political parties to commit to more radical nature plans.
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Opportunities/Get involved
Great Big Green Week
Organised by the Climate Coalition the ‘Great Big Green Week’ will take place between 8th and 16th June 2024. It will see people across the country join together in a nationwide celebration of action to protect the planet. It will show that communities across the UK are making swaps every day to help create a better tomorrow – and now it’s time for politicians to step up and play their part. Click here to get involved.
Ride For Their Lives: Ride to the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly in Geneva
The World Health Assembly in Geneva is being held from 27 May to 1 June 2024 and the RFTL is planning a ride from Paris to Geneva carrying messages from children. This is to encourage those present to be ambitious and bold in their landmark ‘Resolution on Climate Change’ and in prioritising action on the climate crisis and its damaging and long-lasting effects on children’s health. More information can be found here.
Warm This Winter Campaign
A coalition of over 40 charities, Warm This Winter is a new campaign that demands that the government acts now to help people struggling with energy bills during this and future winters and to ensure that everyone has access to affordable energy in the future. Find out more on how to get involved in the campaign here.
NHS Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow Scheme
The scheme offers clinicians with a passion for sustainability a unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills and support the NHS to realise its net zero ambitions. Applications are open to all health professionals from England until the 27th of March 2024. More details are available here.
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Events & Courses
EVENTS
20 March | Hybrid
Rare and hot: climate change and rare diseases
A symposium organised by the Epilepsy Society will discuss how climate change can be included in the national and international policies for rare diseases. Evidence is already suggesting a link between increased temperatures and some aspects of neurological conditions, such as seizures. Register here to attend.
21 March | Online
Plant-Based Diets and Type 2 Diabetes
Join this webinar hosted by Plant-Based Health Professionals UK to understand how plant-based diets can help to prevent and treat the cause of type 2 diabetes as explained by Claire Lynch, a Registered Dietitian. More details are available here.
22 March | Online
Launch of WHO Toolkit for Health Professionals on Communicating about Climate Change and Health
A new toolkit developed by WHO and partners provides comprehensive resources to help health professionals understand the health impacts of climate change, as well as health co-benefits of climate action, build confidence in communication, and engage with various stakeholders effectively. Register here to attend the launch of the toolkit.
10 April | Online
Investigating and addressing inequalities on the mental health impacts of climate change
This webinar organised by the Faculty of Public Health will describe the many ways in which climate change is a risk multiplier for mental health challenges. In contrast, climate action presents many opportunities for improving the conditions that support good mental health and well-being. Registration details can be found here.
10 April | Online
Green Surgery Webinar: Supply Chain, Procurement & Industry
This webinar organised by the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition and The Association of British HealthTech Industries will discuss the Green Surgery Report’s findings and how supply chains, procurement and industry can play critical roles in accelerating delivery of the decarbonisation and enhanced sustainability that is needed. Register here.
3-5 July | Bristol, UK
Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) Summer Conference
The SAPC summer conference on ‘Sustainable Primary Care: Healthy Systems, Healthy People’ is open for registration. More information and options to buy tickets can be found here.
COURSES
Plant-based nutrition course for health professionals
This 8-week course run by the University of Winchester is designed for health professionals who would like to incorporate evidence-based nutrition into routine clinical practice. It is fully CPD accredited. Course start dates for this year are 19 March and 21 May. Registration details can be found here.
International Health and Environment CourseThe Portuguese Council for Health and Environment and the National School of Public Health are running a new course on ‘International Health and Environment’ from 2 April to 18 June. The deadline to register for the course is 21 March 2024. Details can be found here.
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New resources
WHO Repository of systematic reviews on interventions in environment, climate change and health
The Repository aims to assess the current state of evidence and to provide a list of systematic reviews on interventions in all major areas of environment, climate change and health. You can access the repository here.
Towards Zero-Emission Mobility In European Cities: New Research
Clean Cities is a high-level modelling study in five cities – Brussels, Madrid, Greater Manchester, Milan, and Warsaw highlighting the best ways to reduce emissions from transport in cities. The research can be viewed here.
Options For A Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector
A new report by Harvard provides timeframes, targets and trajectories for the livestock sector emissions from a survey of climate scientists. To align with the Paris Agreement, most (85%) experts agree it is important that human diets shift from livestock-derived foods to plant-based foods, especially in high and middle-income countries. The report can be accessed here.
Beyond BECCS: The Case for a Reduced Reliance on Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage in Meeting Net ZeroThis new report by the RSPB and WWF UK summarises research to understand whether it is possible to reduce the UK’s future reliance on Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and still achieve net zero emissions by 2050, whilst understanding the wider environmental and land use implications of these decisions. The full report can be read 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.
- Watch these videos by the Climate Science Breakthrough explaining in an emotive manner the climate science.
- Check out this video where Richard Smith speaks about reducing the carbon footprint of end-of-life care.
- Watch this recorded webinar on ‘Building climate resilient and low carbon health care facilities: priorities and challenges’ by the WHO.
- Read this blog post by Caitríona Callan highlighting the ‘Five takeaways from the Green Surgery Report’.
- In this piece, Richard Smith writes about an immersive installation that aims to present a future vision of the NHS.
- Read this article by Josh Karlinger on a global movement to get the healthcare sector to zero emissions.
- Global Climate and Health Alliance’s Jeni Miller reflects on COP28 outcomes and the action needed next to protect people’s health from the climate crisis in this piece.
- This piece by Scarlett McNally explores how enabling active travel can improve the UK’s health.
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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 anandita.pattnaik@ukhealthalliance.org. The next bulletin will be published on 19 April 2024