Declaration of the Climate and Health Council

We as health professionals and health managers, concerned about the effects of climate change on global health and the environment;

• Recognising that the factors leading to climate change threaten the basic elements of life for both present and future generations, including access to food, water, shelter, clean air and health;
• Aware that declining crop yields, especially in the poorest countries of the world, could leave many millions without the ability to produce or purchase enough food to sustain healthy life;
• Appreciating that climate change-induced sea level rises, flooding and drought, will lead to the displacement and suffering of hundreds of millions of people and could spark national or international conflict;
• Familiar with the scientific evidence indicating that climate change will increase the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever;
• Knowing that most of the health burden of climate change is borne by women and children in developing countries
• Conscious of the uncertainties in predicting the impacts of man made climate change on health and the environment, and the risks of major irreversible changes with important consequences;
• Appreciating that substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are urgently required to reduce the risks of serious climate change
• Recognising that population stabilisation is fundamental to both global efforts to mitigate climate change and the ability to adapt to it
• Aware that in the countries responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions, policies to reduce carbon emissions have the potential to bring important public health benefits, through increases in physical activity, improvements in air quality, decreases in road traffic injuries, increased home energy efficiency and the adoption of diets that contain less animal products;

Call on governments of the world to put in place a global framework such as the Global Commons Institute's Contraction and Convergence to cap the emissions of greenhouse gases such that the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ does not rise above 450 ppm;

Call on governments of the world to transfer resources to the poorest populations of the world so that they can adapt to the climate impacts that are now unavoidable as a result of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and can meet their development needs, including population stabilisation, without further contributing to adverse health and environmental impacts at a local and global level;

Call on individual health professionals to measure and reduce their own carbon footprint and to push for health-related institutions to adopt sustainable practices, recognising that in doing so we will be greatly enhancing the persuasive power of our advocacy as well as contributing to the transition to a low carbon world;

Call on research institutions to invest resources in exploring the most effective way of reducing carbon;

Call on all health professionals and other professional groups to join in supporting this declaration and to take urgent action on this issue within their own spheres of influence.

Support and sign this Declaration by becoming a Climate and Health Council member.

By signing the Declaration, and paying a nominal annual fee of GB£10 per individual, and GB£50 per organisation (see below for payment details), you will

• be listed on the web page under Who is Involved
• undertake to encourage others in your organisation to join
• measure your own carbon footprint
• be able to shape how the council tackles its task (see the Council’s constitution)
• be contacted occasionally with news of important events or publications (for example, see the details of January's Climate change and its impact on health conference)

In addition, for specific advocacy initiatives, the Council will use the membership list to demonstrate the breadth of its support.*

*Council initiatives will always be based on our declaration.