Learning to treat the climate emergency together: social tipping interventions by the health community

Elsevier, The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 7, Issue 3, March 2023, Pages e251-e264
Authors: 
Courtney Howard MD, Andrea J MacNeill MD, Fintan Hughes MB, Lujain Alqodmani MBBS, Kate Charlesworth PhD, Roberto de Almeida MD, Roger Harris MBBS, Bruno Jochum MPS, Prof Edward Maibach PhD, Lwando Maki MBCHB, Forbes McGain PhD, Jeni Miller PhD, Monica Nirmala MPH, David Pencheon MBBS, Scott Robertson RN, Jodi D Sherman MD, Joe Vipond MD, Hao Yin PhD, Prof Hugh Montgomery MDRes

Accelerating the decarbonisation of local and national economies is a profound public health imperative. As trusted voices within communities around the world, health professionals and health organisations have enormous potential to influence the social and policy landscape in support of decarbonisation. We assembled a multidisciplinary, gender-balanced group of experts from six continents to develop a framework for maximising the social and policy influence of the health community on decarbonisation at the micro levels, meso levels, and macro levels of society. We identify practical, learning-by-doing approaches and networks to implement this strategic framework. Collectively, the actions of health-care workers can shift practice, finance, and power in ways that can transform the public narrative and influence investment, activate socioeconomic tipping points, and catalyse the rapid decarbonisation needed to protect health and health systems.