16th May 2025
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. An important part of the work we do at the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change is empowering health professionals to be advocates for action on climate change and the protection of nature for the benefit of health. This newsletter is a vital tool for us to share with you ways that you can have your say, get involved in campaigns, access education and the latest reports. We are grateful to you for signing up, sharing the newsletter with colleagues and encouraging them to sign up, and for the positive messages and suggestions we receive every month. The more we can grow our network, the greater our impact will be. And it is vital that the voice of health cuts through in framing the transition to a healthier, fairer, more sustainable future.
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News and updates
Progress report on adaptation
In its latest report to the UK Parliament, the Climate Change Committee, has warned that delivery of adaptation to address and prevent human health impacts from climate change is insufficient and the country is not prepared for the consequences. The press statement and report from the CCC can be accessed here. Our summary of the health aspects is here.
Call for reversal of wood stoves decision
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has written to the Minister for Housing and Planning, calling for a reversal of a decision to allow wood burning stoves in new builds due to the significant health risks they present. Read more.
Over 1 million people call for an end to new oil and gas
A petition with an incredible 1 million signatures has been delivered to 10 Downing Street. The letter called for an end to drilling, a fast and fair transition for industry workers, a safe climate and affordable energy. Find out more here.
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Have your say
Sign the open letter on changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill
The Wildlife Trust is coordinating an open letter following concerns about draft wording of a new Bill that allows the government to scrap some parts designed to protect nature. The Bill could soon be passed – but there’s a chance to amend the wording now, while its being decided. Nature and development should not be in opposition, they can be partners in a forward-looking country. Add your name here.
Call for a fully funded Warm Homes Plan
Medact is hosting a short action outside the Department of Health and Social Care on Wednesday 28 May to call on the Secretary of State to support a fully funded Warm Homes Plan to protect people’s health and reduce pressure on the NHS. The action will take place at 8-9am, Wednesday 28 May at 39 Victoria St, London SW1H 0EU. There’s a What’s App group for anyone interested in joining.
Sign-on letter: right to clean, healthy, sustainable environment
Add your name to a letter signed by 500+ civil society organisations and social movements calling on the Member States of the Council of Europe to protect the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through an additional protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights. Sign on here.
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Opportunities/Get involved
REGISTRATION OPEN: Act Now, Change Forever
Thousands of people from across the country will be heading to Westminster on 9th July, and we want to ensure as many health voices are part of it. Join us for Act Now, Change Forever – the most impactful climate and nature lobby in history. Together we’ll be calling on MPs to protect what matters most: our health, our nature, our communities, our climate and our future.
🗓️ What is it?
A mass lobby of Parliament, organised by The Climate Coalition – bringing people face-to-face with their MPs to ask for action on the things that matter:
💷 Vital funding for communities already hit hardest by climate change here and around the world
⚖️ Fair investment that cuts bills, backs UK jobs and strengthens local economies
🌿 Action to restore nature, protect our health, and build a future that’s safer, fairer and healthier for all
This is your chance to help shape the future, not just for today, but for generations to come.
➡️ Sign up now and join this movement Act Now, Change Forever – The Climate Coalition. You’ll receive training, support and guidance every step of the way.
Let’s act now and change forever.
Clean Air Day: Thursday 19 June
The theme for this year’s Clean Air Day is health – highlighting the effects of air pollution from your first breath until your last. Please get involved in you can:
- Global Action Plan is coordinating a co-signed health sector letter asking the government to adopt WHO air quality guidelines and other actions on air pollution. Add your name to the letter and share with your networks.
- Join one of the Health Sector Walk&Wheel events taking place across the country involving healthcare professionals, patients and clean air groups. The London event will go from Great Ormond Street Hospital to Parliament Square to deliver the letter from health. Mums for Lungs is organising a Walk&Wheel in Manchester, and others are being organised around the country. Contact the team to find out more. There’s a guidance pack for anyone wishing to organise their own Walk&Wheel too.
- Get involved in Clean Air Day: GAP has produced this comms pack and ‘write to your MP’ e-ask. Please share this with your networks and get in touch with the team for support with your own messaging.
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Events and courses
Forests, finance, and the future: economic risks of nature loss
18.30-20.00, Tuesday 22 May | Online and in person
This event will delve into the intricate links between forest ecosystems and global economic systems, highlighting how nature degradation affects the economy and financial system. Through the lens of deforestation as a primary driver of nature degradation, we will explore both the economic and social dimensions of forest ecosystem disruption. More info
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Improving biodiversity in the UK: What hope for ending the UK’s status as one of the world’s most nature depleted countries
9.30-13.00, Thursday 5 June 2025 | Online
This symposium will provide an opportunity for stakeholders engaged in improving biodiversity to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the UK, learn about latest policy developments and practical initiatives aims at reversing biodiversity loss, and develop strategies to restore habitats. Find out more
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EuroHealthNet Annual Seminar 2025: Climate change and health
13.30-17.30 (CEST), Wednesday 11 June 2025 | Online
This webinar will present evidence on the health and equity impacts of climate change, highlighting the cost of inaction. Experts will discuss how we can drive change through action and advocacy, and a high-level panel will explore cross-sector, multi-level solutions for a healthier planet and population. Find out more
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Growth in a changing climate: Event Series
All events at Imperial College London
11.00-13.00, Thursday 12 June 2025: Building business resilience in a changing climate
11.00-13.00, Thursday 19 June 2025: Economic opportunities in climate resilience
11.00-13.00, Thursday 3 July 2025: Protecting workers and productivity in a changing climate
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Global Climate and Health Summit
16-17 July 2025 | QEII Centre, London (free event)
This summit organised by The Physiological Society and supported by Wellcome will convene researchers, policymakers and climate experts to tackle the health challenges posed by climate change. The summit is free to attend with travel support available to early career researchers, and enhanced support for those in low- and middle-income countries. Find out more.
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Forum on scenarios on climate and societal futures
16-18 July 2025 | University of Leeds
An influential multi-disciplinary conference organised by the Priestly Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds, dedicated to advancing the use of socioeconomic scenarios in addressing some of the most complex and interconnected challenges of our time. Find out more.
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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
2025 Planetary Health Report Card
The Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) is an international student advocacy organisation that produces report cards on an institution’s planetary health education, highlighting and sharing an institution’s areas of good practice and identifying areas in need of improvement. Their sixth annual cycle of the PHRC has been published. This year, 188 institutions from 21 countries across 10 health professional disciplines participated. Check it out.
Clean Air, Healthy Lives: A policy roadmap for health systems to tackle air pollution
The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) has produced this policy roadmap for health ministries – especially in low- and middle-income countries – to address pollution’s devastating health impacts. The brief highlights diverse global case studies that showcase successful approaches to integrating health considerations into air quality management. Check it out.
Into the Red – The cost of climate inaction
The Into the Red report from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society reveals that by 2050, climate inaction could cost Scotland 5-20% of GDP, around £11bn-£45bn per year. The report concludes we must invest in climate solutions now to avoid much larger costs in the future. Check out the full report here.
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Articles, podcasts, videos
We’ve pulled together a list of recent articles, podcasts and videos worth reading, watching, listening and sharing.
- Most economists believe the value of nature is not sufficiently considered in policy and economic decision-making. This article discusses the valuation of nature with particular reference to food systems, which have a major influence on the natural world.
- This video from Ride for Their Lives presents the journey health professionals took at the WHO global conference on air pollution and health in Columbia Northumberland and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health conference in Glasgow with a shared message of the need to tackle air pollution to protect health.
- The blog by UKHACC Chair Richard Smith says NICE denies treatments on cost grounds, but it’s both more important and more urgent that it denies treatments on environmental grounds.
- This podcast on plant-based diets for kidney health features an interview with Angeline Taylor from the UK Kidney Association and British Dietetic Association
- This article says that while healthcare professionals rely on credible evidence to guide patient care and inform public health, when it comes to food much of what passes for evidence has been persistently shaped by corporate interest.
- From green roofs to parks and tree planting initiatives, nature-based solutions support biodiversity and bolster on-site resilience against climate-related threats to service delivery. This article from Public Policy Projects explores how public sector organisations in the UK can integrate nature based solutions within their estates.
- An 89% majority of the world’s people want stronger action to fight the climate crisis but feel they are trapped in a self-fulfilling ‘spiral of silence’ because they mistakenly believe they are in a minority, according to new research. Read more about the research and the 89% project.
- Over the past 20 years, Paris has undergone a major transformation with more bike lanes and green spaces and fewer cars. These maps show the huge impact it has had on reducing air pollution across the city.
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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 Friday 13 June 2025