A stable climate is the most fundamental determinant of human health, making climate change arguably the greatest public health threat facing humanity today. Large-scale, coordinated policy changes are urgently needed to adequately address this global crisis.
Health professionals have a unique and essential role to play as advocates for climate solutions. First, they have unparalleled assets in terms of their knowledge, skills, credibility, and access to important audiences—including policy makers, government officials, educators, patients, and the general public—both in and beyond their own community. Second, many health professionals are aware of and concerned about the health impacts of climate change and have called for integrating climate advocacy as part of their professional responsibility. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, two recent multi-national surveys of health professionals found that the vast majority of respondents were supportive of advocating for climate solutions.