Health groups call on the leaders of the Western Balkan countries to harmonize national air quality standards with the World Health Organization Global air quality guidelines. Health experts should be actively involved in these decision-making processes to ensure the timely integration of public health measures into environmental policies. Compliance with WHO recommendations brings multiple benefits – reduced incidence of chronic diseases and premature deaths, reduced overall health costs and, most importantly, better health and higher productivity of people.
Polish health and medical experts have issued a reminder that accelerating climate change already impacts people’s health in Poland and beyond – and that these effects will continue to worsen. The ‘Doctors for Climate’ appeal, launched today, highlights the consequences of insufficient action to limit global warming and calls on the President as well as national and local decision-makers to take urgent, decisive and timely measures to protect the climate, for the health and lives of current and future generations.
The appeal’s 28 authors and initial endorsers include representatives from the whole range of the Polish health and medical sector, from Clinical Internal Medicine, Allergology, Environmental Epidemiology, Occupational Medicine, Public Health and Population Health, and the Polish National Consultant on Environmental Health.
The appeal is also supported by the Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council, the umbrella organisation of all Polish doctors; and the Executive Board of the Polish branch of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA).
Doctors for Climate call on Polish decision-makers to:
- Protect health from environmental degradation and pollution; and make this the overarching goal of measures at all levels of the administration, and for professional and social groups.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and end other activities leading to the degradation of the natural environment.
The appeal lists over a dozen recommendations, referring to i.e. reducing the carbon footprint of all sectors, a coal phase out, healthy and sustainable mobility, the development of green areas , increased financing for the healthcare sector, as well as climate and health education.
The full text of the appeal and the list of signatories is available at www.lekarzedlaklimatu.pl
More information: Jacek Karaczun jacek@env-health.org
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