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AMA declares climate change emergency

The AMA has joined other health organisations around the world – including the American Medical Association, the British Medical Association, and Doctors for the Environment Australia – in recognising climate change as a health emergency. 

At its August meeting in Canberra, the AMA Federal Council declared that climate change is real and will have the earliest and most severe health consequences on vulnerable populations around the world, including in Australia and the Pacific region. 

The Federal Council Motion reads: 

The Federal Council recognises climate change as a health emergency, with clear scientific evidence indicating severe impacts for our patients and communities now and into the future. The AMA commits to working with government agencies and other organisations to prioritise actions in line with the AMA’s 2015 Position Statement on Climate Change and Human Health. 

AMA President, Dr Tony Bartone, said today that the evidence is in on climate change - and it is irrefutable. 

“The AMA accepts the scientific evidence on climate change and its impact on human health and human wellbeing,” Dr Bartone said. 

“The scientific reality is that climate change affects health and wellbeing by increasing the situations in which infectious diseases can be transmitted, and through more extreme weather events, particularly heatwaves. 

The AMA Position Statement on Climate Change and Human Health is at https://ama.com.au/position-statement/ama-position-statement-climate-change-and-human-health-2004-revised-2015 

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