Confronting the health challenges of climate change
Royal Society of Medicine Trustee Professor Linda Luxon examines the role health professionals are playing in tackling the defining public health challenge of the 21st century: climate change.
Royal Society of Medicine Trustee Professor Linda Luxon examines the role health professionals are playing in tackling the defining public health challenge of the 21st century: climate change.
So far 194 teams and organizations have signed up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, with the goal to “achieve a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change.”
“I have no doubt we will find the answers but only if we are bold enough to talk about things which are more inconvenient and not brush them under the carpet. We will only fight this fight if we keep our voices as clamorous as possible and talk truth to power. Only then.”
“Luxury consumption by the rich concentrates economic activity and delivers negligible extra wellbeing, yet sucks up vast amounts of resources.” Phd candidate Yannick Oswald examines how to redress this imbalance.
“Let women take the lead and see the progress that can be made in averting catastrophic climate change” – Hindou Oumarou Ibhrahim
It is 2050. As citizens and consumers, we have come together and chosen a new future. Through many actions – large and small – we have shown our leaders that we want a healthier and cleaner world. People everywhere understand that their actions signify the world they want to live in. Decisions on how we move, what we eat, and how we power our homes are seen as the building blocks of our collective future.
All over the world, schools, communities, sports clubs, universities, mom-and-pop shops joined the race to a healthier future, and our leaders listened. Consumers voting with their wallets saw businesses respond with ambitious commitments to social and environmental responsibility. Citizens petitioning their city mayors watched as they invested in jobs and industries aligned with our healthier, greener future. Everywhere, people feel empowered and inspired to speak up and participate in the creation of a better world.
Communities are at the heart of it all: we travel actively around towns and cities designed with people in mind, the air we breathe is fresh, and our plant-rich diets are healthy. Actions previously seen as isolated and individual are now the basis for collective solidarity and inspiration.
All around us, our favorite sports teams, cafes, our alma maters, cities, people and communities are playing their part. They recognise that a changing climate impacts us all and the things we love, and that we can come together and create our healthy and resilient future.
Count Us In sets out 16 practical steps each of us can take to protect what we love from climate change before it is too late. These steps, derived from experts at the UN Environment Programme, help each of us play our part. Count Us In’s mission over the next decade is to mobilize 1 billion people to take steps that when aggregated, will make a significant impact in reducing carbon pollution and challenge leaders to act boldly to deliver global systems change.
Giki Zero is your step by step guide to a lighter footprint on the planet. Giki combines a science-based carbon footprint calculator (that’s fun and easy to use!), with over 100 steps so you can find the right choices for your lifestyle and budget. Use it to understand, track and reduce your carbon footprint with personalised steps to plan out your own personal Race to Zero. Team up with others so you can work together to live more sustainably.