eBulletin18th October 2024
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has published an evidence-based policy report titled, Plant-powered Planet: Building a healthy & sustainable food system
Food systems account for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions and much of the loss of nature, yet globally we have a billion people who go to bed hungry and billions who are obese. Transforming our food systems to be healthier, sustainable, and efficient is critical.
As health professionals, we must promote healthy eating and advocate for sustainable food systems to support health and a thriving, biodiverse planet.
Recommendations for the governments of the UK:
- Drive sustainable agricultural transformation
- Cut food waste by half by 2030
- Fuel innovation by investing in a sustainable, plant-powered food future
- Develop a new national food strategy with plant-based food at the core
- Revolutionise school meals by promoting health and sustainability with plant-based choices for the next generation
- Subsidise and incentivise plant-based choices and cut red meat and dairy by 30% by 2030
Recommendations for the NHS and the health sector:
- Make plant-based choices the new norm and phase out processed meat in hospitals by 2030
- Commit to promoting healthy and sustainable diets
- Cut NHS food waste by 50% by 2030
- Empower health professionals by boosting plant-based nutrition knowledge
- End financial support to industrial livestock companies
We encourage you to use this report in conversations and influencing opportunities with policymakers and senior managers to drive the shift toward a food system that is better for people and the planet.
News and updates
Health organisations call on NICE to be more proactive in addressing environmental sustainability
Health organisations including the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, and Sustainable Healthcare Coalition have written to NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) calling on them to take quicker action, transparency, and the development of environmental standards within healthcare evaluations. Read more here.
Encouraging message from the Foreign Secretary
Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently delivered a speech emphasising the climate and nature crisis as the defining challenges of our time, with a pledge to prioritise these issues within the Foreign Office’s agenda, highlighting the interconnected threats of biodiversity loss and climate change to human health. Read a summary here.
Climate and health labels on gas pumps
UKHACC has joined with experts across climate, health, communications and policy to call for climate and health labels on gas pumps. The call draws parallels from cigarette packaging health warnings of the potential positive impacts of labels on the point of sale of fossil fuels that inform people of the climate and health effects.
New Coalition Launched: Climate Minds Coalition
A union of major UK mental health professional bodies called Climate Minds Coalition is calling for greater awareness, support and training for the mental health impacts of the climate and ecological crisis. Read their consensus statement here.
Health for XR has issued a statement in response to the conviction of two young climate activists
They ask the question: Given the escalating climate emergency, what greater betrayal of our young people can there be, than not only failing to take the action needed to safeguard their future, but also to criminalise their voices and imprison them when they take peaceful action to highlight their concerns? Read the full statement here.
Have your say
Take Action: Write to your hospital trusts asking them to commit to implementing a ‘Plant-based by Default’ menu
On the 16th of October, the UKHACC and Plant First Healthcare Campaign jointly delivered an open letter to the Department of Health and Social Care. This letter calls on NHS trusts, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and all other healthcare organisations across the UK to adopt a ‘Plant-Based by Default’ food menu. Read the letter here. There are different templates available here to write to your hospital trusts or NHS England.
Support the Stop Rosebank court case
The court case for the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea is scheduled for 12 November 2024. The ruling will determine if the approval of licences to develop the oilfield was illegal. The Stop Rosebank campaign is seeking to gain support for the case from individuals and organisations – UKHACC is a supporter, but there are few other health organisations signed up. Show your support here.
Opportunities/Get involved
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 (deadline extended) and be a part of shaping the future of low-carbon, climate-resilient health systems. More details are available here.
Energy Campaigns Strategy Day
This event, to be held on 9th November in Leeds, aims to bring together campaigners from a wide range of areas (trade unionists, climate campaigners and activists, scientists and other experts) to build a strategy that identifies the components of a decarbonised energy system that works for everyone, and the action needed to take to achieve it. The idea is to develop practical plans to be followed up that can both win popular support and generate the pressure needed for change. Register here.
Events & Courses
EVENTS
21 October | Online
The Air We Breathe: Global Impacts of Air Pollution on Children’s Health
Organised by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), this webinar will explore the urgent issue of air pollution and its significant impact on children’s health worldwide. Further details are available here.
24 October | Online
ILC Global Alliance webinar: The Nexus of Longevity and Climate Action
The International Longevity Centre Global Alliance is hosting this webinar to build understanding and consensus on the links between the issues of climate crisis and longevity. The two issues are often considered in isolation, and the fact that they are interconnected, and supporting more people to live more years has consequences for our collective impact on the planet, is rarely acknowledged. Registration link can be found here.
30 October | Online
Global Launch of the 2024 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change
The Lancet Countdown will publish its 8th annual indicator report in The Lancet on the 30th of October. The report represents the work of 122 leading experts from 57 academic institutions and UN agencies globally. Published ahead of the 29th UN Conference of the Parties, it provides the most up-to-date assessment of the links between health and climate change. Register here to attend the launch event.
8 November | London & Online
Our health, our planet, our future: climate change and planetary health conference
This event organised by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will explore the complex interactions between climate change and health. It is an opportunity to hear from prominent and influential speakers, join discussions on priorities for climate and health at COP29 and beyond, and explore how the health and scientific communities can influence these global negotiations. More information is available here.
8 November | Online
Building healthier communities in our towns and cities: making the most of the benefits of nature
This webinar is being organised by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and Natural England. It aims to increase awareness of the role that access to nature can play in healthy placemaking, to provide an overview of evidence and practical tools and approaches that can help to join up health and nature-based intervention and to provide inspiring case studies to prompt further collaboration. More information is available here.
9 November | London & Online
Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine conference
Plant-Based Health Professionals UK is holding two one-day nutrition and lifestyle medicine conferences this year. Whether you’re a health professional, policy maker, or simply passionate about optimising your health through better eating patterns and habits, there’s something for everyone. Sessions cover hot topics such as gut health, physical activity, healthy ageing, mental health and behaviour change. More information is available here.
11-15 November | Online
Wales Climate Week
This year’s 5-day virtual conference will include a series of keynote and interactive panel sessions covering the impacts of climate change on our land and agriculture, marine, fisheries, nature and food systems; energy, transport, communications, water and wastewater infrastructure; businesses, economy and finance; health and social care systems; and on our towns, cities and communities. More information and registration details can be accessed here.
14 November | London
You Mean the World: Nursing in a Climate Crisis Exhibition Launch
The exhibition “You Mean the World: Nursing in a Climate Crisis” showcases the role of nursing in addressing climate change, exploring air pollution history, recycling, and sustainable practices. It features art and design on climate issues, including digital installation and sustainable PPE projects. Register here.
COURSES
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.
New resources
New Report: Plant-powered Planet – Building a Healthy & Sustainable Food System
The report outlines that food systems account for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions and much of the loss of nature, yet globally we have a billion people who go to bed hungry and billions who are obese. In the UK, 85% of farmed land is used to raise animals for food, but only about 18% of the calorie supply is provided through meat and dairy. Transforming our food systems to be healthier, sustainable, and efficient is critical. It puts forward 6 recommendations for the UK government and 5 recommendations for the health sector. Download the report here.
New Report: The security blind spot – Cascading climate impacts and tipping points threaten national security
The new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research says that security threats resulting from climate change should be at the core of the government’s approach. These threats have been consistently and significantly underestimated and now pose major security risks. Read the report here.
New Book: Environmentally Sustainable Primary Care
The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis, but what is the role and responsibility of primary care? This book has been written by experts and covers the impact on GP, community pharmacy, dentistry and optometry with practical actions that can take place in practices to reduce the environmental impact of delivering high-quality healthcare that is better for patients, practices and the planet.
Articles, podcasts and videos
We’ve pulled together a list of recent articles, podcasts and videos worth reading, watching, listening and sharing.
- Read the foreword by Richard Smith from the new book on environmentally sustainable primary care.
- UK’s dirtiest form of power today is waste incineration, says this BBC article.
- A new study has found associations between low levels of air pollution and cardiovascular disease.
- Read this article which emphasises the need to build resilience networks following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
- A new study highlights the energy and cost-saving opportunities of MRI and CT scanners.
- This new article says that advocating for active travel within healthcare and supporting infrastructure changes can reduce pollution and improve well-being.
- Read this blog piece which highlights that as the climate emergency intensifies, young people will continue to bear the emotional brunt of a crisis they didn’t create.
- Read this opinion piece that makes a brilliant argument on why good health is more than just healthcare
Please share
Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Anyone can sign up to receive this newsletter by clicking this link: https://action.ukhealthalliance.org/page/69209/subscribe/1
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 15 November 2024