Renewed commitment to reduce the impacts of healthcare on the environment
The AMA and Doctors for the Environment Australia have signed on for another two years of partnership.
On Friday 28 April, AMA President Professor Steve Robson signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding with Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) to work together to mitigate the severe health impacts of climate change. Together with DEA Chair Dr Kate Wylie, both organisations have committed to the following goals for the next two years of partnership:
- A transition to an environmentally sustainable healthcare sector by:
- advocating for the success of the National Health Sustainability and Climate Unit
- equipping current and future doctors with the knowledge to provide sustainable healthcare
- promoting environmentally sustainable changes of practice for healthcare organisations and facilities.
- Improved planning for and knowledge of the health impacts of climate change, including influencing the direction of the National Health and Climate Strategy.
- Improved data collection and research relating to healthcare’s environmental impact and the health impacts of climate change.
- Public communication about the human health benefits of a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, with support for reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions on health grounds.
The AMA and DEA recognise that doctors and the wider health system have a role to play to advocate for climate change, as we are often on the front line, treating patients who have been affected by extreme weather events. The AMA declared climate change a health emergency in 2019 and has committed to a net zero healthcare sector by 2040, with an interim goal of an 80 per cent cut to emissions by 2030.
