Giving Compass' Take:

• As links between climate change to global health issues become apparent, more doctors and nurses are taking action to address the problem.

• The author lists many of the efforts demanding climate action; most come in the form of grassroots organizing. Are there ways that donors can provide capital for these groups? 

• Read more about how we can overcome the challenges fighting climate change. 

Doctors and nurses are joining global demands for action on climate change – and because of their skills they have the potential for huge influence.

It’s been a long time since I was a clinical doctor – work that I loved. The intimate connections with patients and their families, the opportunity to care (if not always to cure), the window into the endless varieties of human lives – these were unforgettable privileges.

But my career took me from primary care to public health. Now my focus is on planetary health – ensuring Earth is a healthy home for humanity today and for generations to come by confronting urgent global health threats.

That’s why I’m so heartened that millions of voices are now rising, demanding more responsible planetary stewardship. A courageous youth climate strike movement, inspired by the remarkable Greta Thunberg, is blossoming in more than 100 countries.  In the USA, where policy change is especially urgent, the People’s Climate Movement grew out of the historic People’s Climate March, running on grass roots energy. Protests by a cross-section of activists and professionals through the Extinction Rebellion have spread to a dozen countries. Many such campaigns are emerging.

I’m especially heartened at the rise of health professional voices. Doctors and nurses are among the most trusted voices in every society. Our views matter. We have potential for huge influence on this urgent global health issue.

An especially exciting development is Clinicians for Planetary Health – a call to action building on a March 2019 declaration by the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), a global network of over 500,000 family doctors. What a powerful voice!

Read the full article about doctors and nurses taking climate action by Howie Frumkin at Wellcome.