This week the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has launched its position statement on the climate crisis and child health, in advance of the Conference of Parties in Glasgow which starts on 1st November
https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/impact-climate-change-global-child-hea...
This wide ranging statement is the result of weeks of work by the College working group on climate change and is open to endorsement by internationa and national organisations concerned with child health.
the contents of the PS are as follows
Table of contents
* Our top three requests for global leaders
* Background and policy
* Key facts
* Key considerations
* What have children and young people said
* Key messages for health professionals
* Roles and responsibilities of paediatricians
* RCPCH recommendations
* RCPCH activity on climate change
* Downloads
The PS opens with a sense of urgency -
The climate crisis is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) is a crucial opportunity to assess, reaffirm and strengthen existing climate change commitments made by the international community. Worldwide, health professionals are united in calling for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health. We call on the leaders of every country and their representatives to make human health central to all climate change mitigation and adaptation actions to protect current and future generations of children and young people.
The statement lists three 'asks' for world leaders in relation to the needs of children at this critical time -
1. Support and protection of children
We call for child health to be a central theme in all climate change policy decisions. All children have the right to clean air, safe water, sanitation, affordable and nutritious food, and shelter. Yet millions of children in the UK and globally do not have access to these critical health determinants – a situation that will be worsened by climate change. The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, and governments should mobilise and allocate the maximum available resources to protect those rights and include a child rights risk assessment as part of all climate policy decisions.
2. Mitigation to reduce the emissions associated with climate change
We call for all countries to prioritise the delivery of a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels. Children and young people are especially vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution, and exposure to poor air quality has lifelong implications for an individual's potential. Governments should strengthen targets to end the use of fossil fuels in all sectors as part of their transition to clean renewable sources of energy, including immediate cessation of all fossil fuel exploration and subsidies.
3. Adaptation to protect current and future generations of children from the impacts of climate change
We call for targeted investment in climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable health and education services. Growing up in a clean and safe environment is every child’s right, and urgent investment in clean water, sanitation and good hygiene practices should be prioritised to enable children to thrive. It is vital that children can continue to go to school and access healthcare services despite the increasing risks presented by climate change.
The statement ends with a special focus on action for paediatricians and other child health professions -
* Paediatricians should consider how they can reduce their carbon footprint<https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/get-involved/individuals/>both personally and within their professional role.
* Paediatricians should consider how they can promote sustainability in their workplace<https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/get-involved/organisations/> through, for example, disinvestment from fossil fuel funds, greening of the supply chain, using sustainable transport, using local and plant-based products in the kitchens, and considering sustainability at all points in their models of care and service delivery.
* Paediatricians should consider introducing the importance of climate change and sustainability into consultations where appropriate, and be able to advise simple, positive steps that individuals, families and communities can take to mitigate the impact of climate change on their health.
* Where possible, paediatricians should take steps to ensure that educational sessions they attend are sustainable, eg using tap water, vegetarian and vegan preponderance at catering sessions, not distributing any non-biodegradable resources and the use of online teaching whenever possible. This includes transitioning international educational sessions and conferences from face to face to distance learning where possible to reduce the need for unsustainable air travel.
Has your organisation made a statement on child health and climate change? If so please share. If not please can you encourage them to do so and take action appropriately?
Tony Waterston
CHIFA profile: Tony Waterston is a retired consultant paediatrician who worked mainly in the community in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He spent 6 years working in Zambia and Zimbabwe and directed the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Diploma in Palestinian Child Health teaching programme in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was an Editor of the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics and is on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Social Pediatrics. His academic interests are child poverty, advocacy for child health and children's rights. He is currently the lead moderator of CHIFA (HIFA's sister forum on child health and rights). He is also a member of the HIFA Steering Group.
Tony.Waterston AT newcastle.ac.uk
