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| The Health Sector on the Front Lines |
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In the age of climate change, the health sector finds itself on the front lines, confronting and adapting to a changing landscape and shifting burden of disease. By working to reduce carbon pollution in the atmosphere, while developing forward looking adaptation strategies, we can protect human health, saving lives and money. Indeed, the health sector can play a leadership role in developing and modeling climate solutions for the rest of society. |
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| Reports & Publications |
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Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Agenda is a document that sets out to support existing efforts around the world to promote greater sustainability and environmental health in the health sector, and thereby to strengthen health systems globally.
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| Notice: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Health Care Without Harm concerning the legal, social, economic status of any country, territory, city of area or of its authorities. The published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. Online articles and links might expire days after their release date. |
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| Global: The Greening of Medicine |
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| by British Medical Journal |
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The Britain's prestigious Medical Journal discusses the depth of the climate crisis and how it has finally forced the spotlight of mainstream environmental scrutiny on medicine, quickly diagnosing the need to dramatically cut healthcare’s unhealthy carbon footprint. Globally, the greening of medicine is also scaling the policy agenda. The article mentions the Climate and Health Summit and discusses efforts by the NHS, HCWH and others to reduce healthcare's climate footprint. more |
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| UK: Climate and Health Council Asks Climate Skeptic Groups to Reveal Their Funding. |
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| by CHC and BBC |
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The Climate and Health Council (CHC)
has published a letter asking climate sceptic lobby groups to reveal all their funding. Given the disproportionate influence given to climate sceptics by the media, it is in the public, national, and global interest for all funding behind their activities to be revealed. The letter was signed by
Professors of Climate Science, Population Health, Epidemiology, etc., as well as by and public health physicians and specialists among others. more |
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| US: Multi-National Partnership to Benefit Climate, Health, and Agriculture |
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| by the White House US |
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week announced the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a voluntary partnership thast includes the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to reduce short-lived atmospheric pollutants such as methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon, or soot. These fast-acting climate pollutants are estimated to be responsible for about a third of global warming over the past 50 years, and are proven to have significant impacts on public health and world food production. more |
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| Europe: Cut Emissions, Boost Health |
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| by European Voice |
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The European Commission published a staff working paper that considered the impact of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by more than the EU's current target of 20% by 2020.
It underlines something that doctors have long known – that, as well as mitigating climate change, a reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions would directly help the public's health and so would help to reduce healthcare budgets across Europe. However, reducing greenhouse gases is even better for public health than a European Commission study suggests.
A recent independent report published by Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) and Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) showed that raising the domestic target from 20% to 30% would save an additional €10bn-€30bn each year. more |
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| Australia: Climate and Health Alliance Develops Statement on Health Effects of Wind Turbines |
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| by CAHA |
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The Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) developed this statement in response to claims that there are adverse health effects associated with human exposure to wind turbines. According to the CAHA despite the existence of large scale commercial wind turbines in densely
populated areas for over 20 years, there is no credible evidence in the peer reviewed published scientific literature that there are any direct adverse physiological health effects from exposure to wind turbines supports the deployment of wind turbin. more |
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| US: USAID Launches Climate Change and Development Strategy |
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| by USAID |
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The goal of the Climate Change and Development Strategy is to enable countries to accelerate their transition to climate resilient, low-emission and sustainable economic development. The strategy includes a small section on climate change and health that addresses "capacitybuilding of key health stakeholders to understand and anticipate climate change impacts and develop climateresilient health policies". more |
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| Australia: Climate Change a Fundamental Health Risk |
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| by Sidney Morning Herald |
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Tony McMichael, a leading Australian disease expert, conducted a historical study that suggests natural climate change over thousands of years has destabilised civilisations via food shortages, disease and unrest. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor McMichael argued the world faced extreme climate change "without precedent" over the past 10,000 years and states that the greatest recurring health risks over past millennia have been from food shortages and warming that led to an increase in infectious diseases as a result of better growth conditions for bacteria and the proliferation of mosquitoes. more |
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