By Rammina Yassaie. Doctors with convictions from taking part in climate-related peaceful protests are at risk of being “struck off” by the General Medical Council (GMC), as tribunals are set to determine whether they can keep their license to practice. Increasing numbers of climate-related arrests have occurred recently, with doctors engaging in non-violent direct action […]
Category: climate change
Sustainable health care beyond the paradox of prevention
By Cristina Richie. High carbon health care has global environmental effects—population health is damaged by the carbon of health care industries. Many countries have medically underserved residents, and as such, it could be argued that there is an obligation on the part of health care systems to reduce carbon emissions through laws or policy. For […]
Physicians have a duty to climate protection, but beware: we all have!
By Henk Jasper van Gils-Schmidt and Sabine Salloch. In our article, “Physicians´ duty to climate protection as an expression of their professional identity”, we argue that physicians should undertake action to protect the climate. This question has our interest, as we observe a rising numbers of calls to action to climate protection addressing physicians. Yet, […]
“Good Medical Practice” and the Climate Crisis
By Rammina Yassaie. Primum non nocere. First do no harm. Words that are ingrained into every doctor from the moment they graduate medical school, as the resounding ethical principle to live and practice by. Medicine is often thought of as a career that involves ‘saving lives’, but how commonly are doctors encouraged to consider the […]
If some inhalers contribute to global warming, how should healthcare respond?
By Joshua Parker. Most people are surprised to hear that if industrialised healthcare were a country it would be the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. In 2019, the NHS was responsible for around 7% of England’s total carbon footprint; approximately 25 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. We can already see the effects […]
Healthcare professionals and disruptive climate protest – unjustified, or a professional responsibility?
By Ellen Tullo. The coordinated actions of Extinction Rebellion (XR) in 2019 and 2021 raised public consciousness about global failures to act on the climate emergency. Some of the methods employed by XR – road obstruction, non-permanent marking of private property and the breaking of windows – prompted a divergence of opinion on what degree […]
The carbon emissions of prescribing practices
By Cristina Richie. Health care has a carbon footprint, which contributes to climate change and climate change health hazards, like severe weather, flooding, tornadoes, drought, and anxiety. Carbon emissions come from health care structures and health care activities. Health care structures like hospitals and clinics rely on high-carbon use building materials, heat and cooling, water […]