Published 15 September 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b3672
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b3672

Letters

Climate change

Politicians must heed health effects of climate change

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

The report on climate change and health commissioned by University College London and the Lancet concludes: "Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century."¹ In this report, the authors emphasise not only the immediacy and gravity of this threat but also the directness: while the poorest in the world will be the first affected, none will be spared. The escalating carbon footprint of the developed world has led to the present situation, but the rapid impact on developing countries such as the encroaching deserts in Africa is the immediate price.

This is one reason why doctors must take a lead in speaking out. Another is that there are important co-benefits of tackling climate change for those with long term conditions in the developed world, such as those that come from more exercise with less use of cars and dietary change with reduced meat consumption. In December . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Academy of Medicine Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ² American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA, USA, ³ Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ⁴ Ceylon College of Physicians, Colombo, Sri Lanka, ⁵ College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan, ⁶ College of Physicians of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ⁷ College of Physicians of South Africa, Rondebosch, South Africa, ⁸ Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Rondebosch, South Africa, ⁹ Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Hong Kong, SAR China, ¹⁰ Hong Kong College of Physicians, Hong Kong, SAR China, ¹¹ Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Sydney, NSW, Australia, ¹² Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada, ¹³ Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Glasgow, ¹⁴ Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, ¹⁵ Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, ¹⁶ Royal College of Physicians of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand, ¹⁷ West African College of Physicians, Lagos, Nigeria, ¹⁸ Royal College of Physicians of London, London NW1 4LE

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