A Healthy Blueprint

The evidence is clear that climate change and public health are interconnected; syndromic surveillance allows us to track how many people who visit the emergency room are being affected by certain health conditions (which can be instrumental when understanding how extreme heat can contribute or exacerbate chronic illnesses, for example).

5% of global GHG emissions come from the health sector, so healthcare professionals have a responsibility to take climate action!

Thank you Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments for hosting this engaging panel with these inspiring health professionals taking climate action in their respective roles.

Some highlights from the session:
– Elizabeth Schenk encouraged us to check out ANHE’s white paper and CTA on climate change, health, and nursing
– Ben Fulgencio-Turner shared some hopeful stats that we are NOT alone when it comes to worrying about climate change, and we are motivated to protect future generations and our health across ages and political spectrums;
– Nurses are the #1 trusted messenger, followed by medical doctors, which presents a fantastic opportunity for them to lead on climate action

ecoAmerica has a free online training for health professionals who are eager to engage others on the topic of climate change. Check it out here.

And I would be remiss not to mention Climate Advocacy Lab‘s Climate + Health Program, which also equips health practitioners with the tools to speak about climate to their peers and network! I recently learned about their program and met a few stellar team members and can’t wait to see the enormous impact they will make in this space.