DAUK has signed an open letter urging the Prime Minister and media executives to deliver a televised national emergency briefing on the escalating climate and nature crises.
Dr Matt Lee, DAUK sustainability lead, said tackling climate change must be the number one health priority for politicians.
A public messaging campaign was needed to make people fully aware of the threat posed by the climate crisis, Dr Lee said.
It followed the National Emergency Briefing in Westminster today (Thursday 27 November).
National Emergency Briefing
Dr Lee and co-chairs Dr Helen Fernandes and Dr Ellen Welch represented DAUK at the briefing. Hundreds of MPs, Peers, and leaders from business, faith, sport, and culture also attended
Ten of the UK’s leading experts on the climate and nature crisis delivered the briefing. The the audience with the latest implications for health, food, national security, and the economy.
The experts emphasised the threats were no longer distant projections but rapidly accelerating realities that will profoundly affect public health.
Dr Lee is the driving force behind Our Health, Our Planet.
Our Health, Our Planet
The website brings together hundreds of resources with the aim of raising greater awareness of the threat of climate change to people’s health and steps they can take to minimise it.
Dr Lee said: “Tackling climate change must be the number one health priority for the government.
“Doctors and healthcare professionals are already seeing the health impacts of the climate crisis, from heat-related illness to respiratory disease caused by poor air quality.
“The public needs to understand the scale of the risks we face and the solutions available, which is why we’re supporting this call for an urgent televised national emergency briefing.
“It needs to be backed up by a comprehensive public engagement campaign.
Climate change
“Clear and accurate communication is critical. People need to understand the risks, but also the steps we can take to tackle climate change and to protect health.”
Dr Lee is the driving force behind Our Health, Our Planet. The website brings together hundreds of resources with the aim of raising greater awareness of the threat of climate change to people’s health and steps they can take to minimise it.
The letter urges the Government and broadcasters to deliver a national emergency briefing and launch a comprehensive public engagement campaign.
It concluded: “If delivered urgently and truthfully, with ambition matching the scale of the crisis, this will not only ensure that the public is properly informed but will also offer the protection that knowledge and preparedness bring.
Public engagement campaign
“Such a campaign will resonate with the public, opening up the political space for the action needed.
“We are not safe. This is an emergency. Now is the time for courage and to put trust in the public. The UK has a track record of uniting to face difficult challenges. Now is the time to do this again.”
Click here to read and sign the letter.
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