Eleven medical societies in the United States, representing over 400,000 medical practitioners, have joined together to form The Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health . Their launch document on March 15 was Medical Alert! Climate Change is harming our health , directed at the general public to sound the alarm that climate change health impacts are here and now.
The report gives only a nod to the threats in the workplace, given its goal to reach a general audience. It warns that “anyone can be harmed by extreme heat, but some people face greater risk. For example, outdoor workers, student athletes, city dwellers, and people who lack air conditioning (or who lose it during an extended power outage) face greater risk because they are more exposed to extreme heat. People with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and those who work or play outside, are especially vulnerable to extreme heat.. ..” The report also touches on the other major health-related impacts, such as spread of infectious diseases borne by ticks and mosquitos, air pollution, effects of forest fires, polluted air and food, mental health burden, etc.
The Consortium states that “most physicians are aware of the adverse health effects of climate change and feel a responsibility to inform the public, patients and policymakers about them. A majority of survey respondents report they are already seeing health harms from climate change among their own patients – most commonly in the form of increased cardiorespiratory disease (related to air quality and heat), more severe and longer lasting allergy symptoms, and injuries attributed to extreme weather.”
The goal of the consortium is to educate, and to advocate for reduced fossil fuel consumption and increased clean energy. Their website offers a library of publications related to the growing literature on climate change and health. The website also compiles resources from their member societies, such as the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, about how to green medical workplaces. In this, they join a number of existing associations such as Practice Greenhealth and Healthcare without Harm, an international organization with Canadian membership.
In Canada, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment , which was established in 1994, shares a similar mission for policy advocacy, and maintains an active blog and Facebook presence. The Canadian Medical Association has a number of policy and position documents on environmental impacts on health; their most recent policy statement on Climate change and Health was issued in 2010, yet still seems remarkably relevant.
