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]

¹ UK Sustainable Development Commission, London SW1A 2HH

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

Relevant Article

NHS should bring in measures to reduce its carbon footprint, BMA says

Susan Mayor
BMJ 2008 336: 740. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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]