No Time for Games when it comes to Climate Action
Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) have recently launched their campaign ‘No Time For Games’, focussing on the health impacts of climate change on children. DEA are asking medical professionals to sign a pledge indicating their support for the campaign, which will be delivered to the Prime Minister in 2019.
The campaign launch was held on Tuesday 27th November on the front lawns of Parliament House. Politicians including Dr Kerryn Phelps MP, the Hon Mark Butler MP and Rebekha Sharkie MP, along with prominent doctors and paediatricians, made strong statements calling for climate action and emphasising the impacts of climate change on public health.
The AMA’s Position Statement Climate Change and Human Health – 2015 outlines the health impacts of climate change, which include increases in heat-related illnesses, injuries and deaths from extreme weather events, water-borne and vector-borne diseases, and mental health issues. No Time for Games highlights that children are especially vulnerable to health issues exacerbated by climate change, including asthma, malnutrition, and diarrhoea.
DEA are encouraging medical professionals to sign a pledge supporting:
- A whole-of-government approach to climate change
- Increasing the capability of health services to respond to children affected by climate change
- Greening our healthcare systems; and
- Divestment from fossil fuels.
You can sign the pledge and find more information on the campaign on DEA’s website here.
The AMA’s position statement on Climate Change and Human Health can be found here.
