BMJ  2008;336:733-734 (5 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39538.509456.80 (published 2 April 2008)

Editorials

How should health professionals take action against climate change?

BMA report outlines the problems, but falls short in providing solutions

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

"The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global threat, and it demands an urgent global response." This was the unequivocal message of the Stern report, published by HM Treasury last year.1 The time for debate is over—at least about whether climate change is potentially catastrophic and caused by human activity. But who should act and how? This week, the BMA Board of Science publish their report Health Professionals—Taking Action on Climate Change.2 It outlines the basic facts and figures and points to copious sources of further information.

The report endorses Stern’s conclusion that, "urgent action is needed now at an individual, organizational, political and global level." It summarises evidence about cause and effect, then considers the health implications. A diagram (from the Lancet) points to floods, storms, and other forms of environmental damage leading to "impaired nutrition, health, survival."

Turning to how the effects of . . . [Full text of this article]

Anna Coote, commissioner for health

1 UK Sustainable Development Commission, London SW1A 2HH

annacoote@hotmail.co.uk


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hutchins, D. C J, White, S. M (2009). Coming round to recycling. BMJ 338: b609-b609 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

When will we learn?
David Warriner
bmj.com, 4 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Hopeless
Andrew Montgomery
bmj.com, 5 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Activities we can do without
Tze Wai Wong, et al.
bmj.com, 7 Apr 2008 [Full text]
End of discussion?
Ivan P. Hudecek
bmj.com, 8 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Wrong reference
John C Chambers
bmj.com, 8 Apr 2008 [Full text]
How should health professionals take action against climate change?
colin bannon
bmj.com, 10 Apr 2008 [Full text]
We know what to do
Stuart Martin Galey
bmj.com, 10 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ