The Environment and Health

Climate Change

Medact aims to highlight the health implications of environmental degradation and work towards solutions which are ecologically sound, socially just, and beneficial to human health.

Medacts members are increasingly concerned about the responsibility of health professionals for the impacts of human behaviour on global eco-systems, and the role of environmental factors as determinants of health. Our membership includes leading experts in the fields of climate change and toxicology, who are active in delineating the present and potential damage to human health worldwide.

Medact welcomes the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol by a total of 186 nations. However we are alarmed that the United States, the world's richest, most powerful, and most polluting nation, continues in its refusal to ratify the Protocol. The US constitutes 25% of the global warming problem.

Notwithstanding US non-compliance, the agreement represents a commendable achievement in the face of environmental disaster. We stress the urgency of further, deeper cuts and suggest that the measures currently agreed to, whilst a vital first step, are of less significance than the precedent set and the inbuilt capacity for much bigger emission cuts in future.

To put the deal into perspective, the actual cuts committed to by the 37 richest and most developed nations (after last minute concessions to Japan, Canada and Australia) translate into reductions of around 1-3% of C0₂ released into the atmosphere. This comes nowhere near the immediate cuts of 60-80% demanded by scientists in order to stabilise the climate.

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Climate and Health Council - the Pledge Robin Stott and Mike Gill, Co-chairs of the Climate and Health Council, are leading an initiative aimed to ensure that the ‘health voice’ is properly heard in the lead up to the UN Copenhagen conference in Dec 2009.

30/10/2008

Carbon Reduction and Health: a guide to reducing the footprint of the health sector The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are hosting a conference organised in collaboration with the BMJ and the Faculty of Public Health on June 30th aimed at helping the health sector reduce its carbon footprint. For the very reasonable price of £50 you can hear eminent speakers on the public imperative of the subject and how it can be realised in practice - if possible you need to sign up this week.

27/05/2008

ICOUNT - has been a roaring success! We are ending the campaign on a high with our 3 victories on the climate bill.

1. A target of 80% reduction in emissions by 2050
2. Yearly targets for emissions reductions
3. And aviation and shipping will now be included in the emissions targets

06/11/2007

Nuclear power in the context of climate change - not the answer In the ongoing debate about nuclear power and climate change, Dr Ian Fairlie's 2005 submission the the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee clearly lays out the evidence that nuclear power is not the answer to reducing carbon emissions.

25/04/2007

Bristol Medact's response to Bristol International Airport's Masterplan Bristol Medact warns that the proposed expansion of Bristol International Airport will have adverse effects on health, both locally and beyond. Download the file to read their whole response to the consultation.

19/01/2007

Centre on Global Change and Health Current scientific evidence indicates that climate change will contribute to the global burden of disease through increases in diarrhoeal disease, vector-borne disease and malnutrition and the health impacts of extreme weather and climate events. We are continuing to develop methods for quantifying the health risks associated with climate change at the national, regional and global level.

11/01/2007

What should we do about climate change? Health Professionals need to act now, collectively and individually Robin Stott, chair of the British Medical Journal Carbon Council and Board member of Medact, has recently published an article on climate change in the British Medical Journal

20/11/2006

Africa - Up in Smoke 2 The second report from the Working Group on Climate Change and Development on Africa and global warming is now available for download

20/11/2006

Up in Smoke? Latin America and the Caribbean: the Threat from Climate Change to the Environment and Human Development The third report from the Working Group on Climate Change and Development on Latin America and the Caribbean is now available for download

20/11/2006

Personal carbon allowances Mayer Hillman: BMJ, Jun 2006; 332: 1387 - 1388 ; doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7554.1387

17/08/2006

Healthy response to climate change Robin Stott: BMJ, Jun 2006; 332: 1385 - 1387 ; doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7554.138

17/08/2006

Medact 2006 AGM - Global inequality and climate change; confronting the problem Venue: 120 Belsize Lane, London, NW3 5BA
Date: 17th of June 2006
Time: 0930 –1700

Featuring information on the talks and issues raised at the AGM, presentations and links to useful information.

26/04/2006

Medact's submission to the Select Committee on Environmental Audit Dr Ian Fairlie's submission on behalf of Medact, critically examines the claims made for nuclear power in the context of climate change.

Click the website link given below. From there, select the HTML version of the Sixth Report. Then click on "Written Evidence" at the bottom of the contents, and the link to the Memorandum submitted by Medact can be found approximately half-way down the page.

25/04/2006

World Health Organisation - Global environmental change Large-scale and global environmental hazards to human health include climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of freshwater, land degradation and stresses on food-producing systems.

Appreciation of this scale and type of influence on human health requires a new perspective which focuses on ecosystems and on the recognition that the foundations of long-term good health in populations rely in great part on the continued stability and functioning of the biosphere's life-supporting systems. It also brings an appreciation of the complexity of the systems upon which we depend.

16/01/2006

Carsons Syndrome- Non accidental injury to the Planet Carsons Syndrome--A major threat to the publics health in the 21st Century

This outline does not attempt to craft a new definition of health, an anyway unneccesary folly as definitions do not alter our understanding of the factors which contribute to our health.

03/08/2004