More than 70 health organizations are calling on policymakers and business leaders to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, move to renewable energy and promote behaviors that are good for the climate and public health.
Among the signatories are the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the National Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Under the name "The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health," the coalition of medical groups published a policy agenda, available here. The agenda outlines 10 priorities, which include engaging the health sector in climate action and incorporating climate solutions into the healthcare system, among others.
The formation of the consortium underscores the urgent need to act on climate change to address related health risks. For example, reducing greenhouse gas emissions could save thousands of lives in the U.S. each year, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and help curtail the spread of infectious disease like dengue fever, according to research in Nature.
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