13: How can the green agenda help the health agenda? – with Dr Fiona Godlee and Professor Andy Haines

Climate change is a global health emergency. What can we learn from how ‘green’ has gone up the agenda? And how might we apply useful lessons to getting further improvements in another complex and difficult challenge – improving the health of the UK population and reducing inequalities? 

The increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms is already devastating lives and livelihoods around the world. While other countries are far more vulnerable to the health risks of climate change, the UK is not immune.

The UK government and the health and social care system must actively contribute to climate change solutions as part of our global responsibility. In the weeks ahead the UK (along with Italy as a partner) will host COP26, and countries will be showing what action they are taking towards the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming.

Making progress on climate change will be very challenging. Like improving health, it is a complex problem needing long-term policy commitment and action. What can we learn from efforts and progress so far? And can going greener actually improve the health of people in the UK?

In the latest episode of our podcast, our Chief Executive Dr Jennifer Dixon discusses these issues with two expert guests:

Dr Fiona Godlee is Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal, a post she’s held since 2005. Fiona is on the board and executive committee of the Climate and Health Council and the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change. 

Professor Andy Haines is Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Andy is a member of several major international and national committees, including the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Useful links:

The Health Foundation (2021) What do the public think about the NHS and climate change?

UN Environment Programme (2021) The production gap 2021

Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society (2021) Climate change and health

HM Government (2021) Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener 

HM Government (2020) The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution

Council for Science and Technology (2020): Achieving net zero carbon emissions through a whole systems approach