Skip to content

Talk

The duty of a doctor is to respond to risks to patient safety. As trusted professionals there is a great deal we can do to raise awareness and campaign about the climate emergency as a health emergency.

According to the IPPC 2019 report, and the WHO, climate change poses the most significant threat to human health of the 21st century.

We at Greener Practice believe it is the duty of healthcare professionals to inform patients of the risks posed to health by the climate crisis, and to empower people to improve their health by taking action against climate change.

Engaging GP’s in you local area

If you are keen to get other GPs in your area started on their Green journey, here is a survey, kindly shared by Dr Vasandhara Thoroughgood. Please feel free to adapt it for your area.

Climate Conversations

Sustainability exchange have produced a ‘How to’ guide to sustainability conversations. Climate outreach has lots of information about having effective conversations about the climate crisis have also produced a handbook.

This TED Talk, by Katharine Hayhoe (Director of the Climate Science Centre, Texas Tech University), shows how making the climate crisis part of our everyday conversations really does make a difference in raising awareness and normalising the discussion.

See the section on Waiting Room Videos for easy ways to raise awareness amongst your patients.

Here is short video of three primary care educationalists from around the world talking about how their countries were approaching medical education and planetary health/climate change.