An immediate and coordinated public health response to the escalating climate emergency is needed to save lives, says DAUK’s sustainability lead.
Dr Matt Lee was responding to a stark UN warning that humanity has missed the critical 1.5C global warming target.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said it was ‘inevitable’ the target in the Paris climate agreement would not be met.
Speaking to the Guardian before November’s Cop30 climate summit, Mr Guterres said it would have ‘devastating consequences for the world’.
Climate crisis
Dr Lee said: “This should never have been an inevitability, but we are now in this position due to a failure of successive governments, including our current government, to address the climate crisis with the urgency and seriousness it requires.
“It’s critically important to recognise that every fraction of a degree of warming prevented will save lives.
“A public health campaign, comparable to the scale of that seen in the Covid crisis, is urgently required.
“A failure to prepare the public for the severe effects of climate change to come will be nothing short of negligent, and lives will be lost.”
Emergency briefing
Dr Lee urged MPs and policy makers to attend the National Emergency Briefing on Climate and nature.
Led by experts in the field, the briefing will focus on the threats presented by the climate and nature crisis, and the science-based pathway forwards.
It takes place at 9am on 27 November in Westminster Central Hall. DAUK will be attending.
Dr Lee said: “Health organisations across the UK are ready to support the urgent action required.
“At DAUK, we are ready to engage and support with any politicians prepared to take climate action seriously, and we will continue to challenge those who do not.”
Global health threat
DAUK has consistently warned the climate crisis is not just an environmental issue, but a global health threat.
Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are driving increases in illness and disease, and food and water insecurity.
Dr Lee pointed people to DAUK’s online resource Our Health, Our Planet for information on how climate change is affecting health and steps to tackle it.
“Our Health, Our Planet is already making an impact,” he said. “And we would welcome further collaboration to accelerate action.”
DAUK committee members are all volunteers and campaign on issues facing frontline doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.
