Contextually relevant healthcare professional education: Why planetary health is essential in every curriculum now

Multiple international organizations have recognized climate change as the greatest health threat of the 21st century. Fortunately, this narrative can and has been rewritten to frame climate change as an opportunity for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to be involved as part of a multi-pronged solution [1]. A barrier to this involvement can be a lack of knowledge in this area. Therefore, one important opportunity is to educate HCPs with the aim of creating better practitioners, policy makers and advocates. The curricula in many HCP schools do not effectively include the impact of climate change on health as well as the healthcare system's impact on the environment [2,3]. Formally educating HCPs will shape a group of knowledgeable Planetary Health advocates within the healthcare system, resulting in a critical mass of individuals who can generate change and look after patients effectively.