The World Health Organisation’s environment expert, Dr Roberto Bertollini, has called for a revolution in health care practice in order to deal with climate change.
Guest Post by James Black
Dr Bertollini, speaking in Copenhagen, also said that the health sector is in a unique position to promote green technology and sustainable practices.
The WHO is hosting an event in Copenhagen on Thursday to promote awareness of the impact of climate change on human health and medical care.
As floods, vector-borne diseases and droughts increase as a result of shifting temperatures, health care systems will come under unprecedented pressure to cope with the fall-out.
The Lancet journal, and the WHO itself, have both published reports this year warning that climate change presents the single greatest risk to human health this century.
Dr Bertollini warned that climate change will force a cultural shift in the health care sector to cope with the pressure. He claims that doctors and other medical professionals will need to start playing a greater role in educating the public about the risks of global warming.
“It is a different type of attitude,” he said. “I am a health professional and in this profession the idea is that your duty and your task is to treat people, individuals, not populations. But we have to start thinking differently. There is a big cultural revolution to be had in the health sector.”
He added: “The health sector can play a role in relating to the public. It has an important role of conveying information, talking to the people, advocacy, awareness raising, and behavioral change.
“The doctor influences the behavior of the people, so I think it is an important vehicle of information.”
As well as raising awareness, Dr Bertollini thinks that health care can also be a leader in developing sustainable technology and efficient mitigation policies.
A recent study in the UK found that the National Health Service accounted for 25% of the country’s public sector carbon footprint.
However, Britain was praised by the WHO this year for being the first nation to develop a comprehensive plan for making the health sector more sustainable.
The NHS estimates that on its fuel bill alone, it could save around £5 million a year by implementing greener technologies and becoming energy efficient.
“The health sector is one of the most energy intensive of any social sector,” said Dr Bertollini. “It works for 24 hours a day, and there are a lot of people working in it, it is one of the world’s major employers.
“So the health sector can also play an important role in mitigation policies, reducing energy, making use of more sustainable mechanisms of energy production, encouraging the staff to come to work with bus or bike instead of coming by car.”
Not only will a more energy efficient health sector make a major contribution in mitigating the effects of climate change, it will also, says Dr Bertollini, improve health services and the overall well-being of society.
This is a key message that the WHO is bringing to the talks in Copenhagen. Sustainability is good for the health and these “co-benefits” of carbon efficient services are one of the strongest arguments for rolling out widespread changes in infrastructure, not just in the health sector but in other areas of society as well.
Dr Bertollini said: “What we want to do here in Copenhagen is also to make sure that there is an understanding among delegations, among negotiators, and among decision makers, that addressing climate change properly will also have important co-benefits for health.
“This means that people will be investing in reducing greenhouse gases, getting a cleaner environment, will actually improve the conditions and lives of people, and decrease the number of certain diseases.”
As the Copenhagen talks draw to a close this week the WHO message is clear: what’s good for the environment is good for the health. For experts like Roberto Bertollini, there is no better argument for action on climate change.
As the Copenhagen talks draw to a close this week the WHO message is clear: sustainability is good for the health as well as the environment. For experts like Dr Bertollini, there is no better argument for action on climate change.
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