Impact on health professions education of the climate and nature crisis

An Editorial Time to treat the climate and nature crisis as one indivisible global health emergency (Abbasi et al. 2023) is being published simultaneously in multiple health journals, including Medical Teacher. It highlights how human health is damaged by both the climate crisis and by the nature crisis. What is described as ‘an indivisible planetary crisis will have major effects on health as a result of the disruption of social and economic systems - shortages of land, shelter, food, and water, exacerbating poverty which in turn will lead to mass migration and conflict. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, air pollution, and the spread of infectious diseases are some of the major health threats exacerbated by climate change’. ‘Health professionals’ it is argued ‘must be powerful advocates for both restoring biodiversity and tackling climate change for the good of health’.

In Medical Teacher we have over a number of years published papers recognising the importance for health professions education of an environmentally accountable curriculum and the need to address issues relating to planetary health (Box 1).

We strongly support publication of the Editorial.

Box 1 Some papers published in Medical Teacher highlighting challenges to planetary health

1. Atul Sharma, Lillian Smyth, Holly Jian, Nicole Vargas, Devin Bowles and Arnagretta Hunter (2023). Are we teaching the health impacts of climate change in a clinically relevant way? A systematic narrative review of biomechanism-focused climate change learning outcomes in medical curricula, Medical Teacher, 10.1080/0142159X.2023.2256963

2. Owen Dan Luo, Candelaria Aristizabal Londono, Nicole Prince, Ericka Iny, Tyler Warnock, Kayla Cropper, Sam Girgis and Celia Walker (2023). The Climate Wise slides: An evaluation of planetary health lecture slides for medical education, Medical Teacher, DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2023.2262126

3. Michelle McLean and Trevor Gibbs (2022). Addressing Code Red for humans and the planet: We are in this together, Medical Teacher, 44:5, 462-465, DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2022.2040733

4. Rosie Spooner, Alice Clack, Siobhan Parslow Williams and Frances Mortimer (2022). Empowering students and health workers to take action on climate change, Medical Teacher, 45:4, 444-445, 10.1080/0142159X.2022.2133693

5. Emily Shaw, Sarah Walpole, Michelle McLean, Carmen Alvarez-Nieto, Stefi Barna, Kate Bazin, Georgia Behrens, Hannah Chase, Brett Duane, Omnia El Omrani, Marie Elf, Carlos A. Faerron Guzmán, Enrique Falceto de Barros, Trevor J. Gibbs, Jonny Groome, Finola Hackett, Jeni Harden, Eleanor J. Hothersall, Maca Hourihane, Norma May Huss, Moses Ikiugu, Easter Joury, Kathleen Leedham-Green, Kristen MacKenzie-Shalders, Diana Lynne Madden, Judy McKimm, Patricia Nayna Schwerdtle, Margot W. Parkes, Sarah Peters, Nicole Redvers, Perry Sheffield, Judith Singleton, SanYuMay Tun and Robert Woollard (2021). AMEE Consensus Statement: Planetary health and education for sustainable healthcare, Medical Teacher, 43:3, 272-286, DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2020.1860207

6. Gabrielle Brand, Jorja Collins, Gitanjali Bedi, James Bonnamy, Liza Barbour, Chanika Ilangakoon, Rosie Wotherspoon, Margaret Simmons, Misol Kim and Patricia Nayna Schwerdtle (2021). “I teach it because it is the biggest threat to health”: Integrating sustainable healthcare into health professions education, Medical Teacher, 43:3, 325-333, DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2020.1844876

7. Diana Lynne Madden, Michelle McLean, Meagan Brennan and Aishah Moore (2020). Why use indicators to measure and monitor the inclusion of climate change and environmental sustainability in health professions’ education?, Medical Teacher, 42:10, 1119–1122, 10.1080/0142159X.2020.1795106

8. Sarah Catherine Walpole, Aditya Vyas, Janie Maxwell, Ben J. Canny, Robert Woollard, Caroline Wellbery, Kathleen E. Leedham-Green, Peter Musaeus, Uzma Tufail-Hanif, Karina Pavão Patrício and Hanna-Andrea Rother (2017). Building an environmentally accountable medical curriculum through international collaboration, Medical Teacher, 39:10, 1040-1050, DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2017.1342031

9. Sarah Catherine Walpole, David Pearson, Jonathan Coad and Stefi Barna (2016). What do tomorrow’s doctors need to learn about ecosystems? – A BEME Systematic Review: BEME Guide No. 36, Medical Teacher, 38:4, 338-352, DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2015.1112897

10. David Pearson, Sarah Walpole and Stefi Barna (2015). Challenges to professionalism: Social accountability and global environmental change, Medical Teacher, 37:9, 825-830, DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2015.1044955

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The authors have no declarations of interest to report. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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Notes on contributors

Ronald M. Harden

Ronald Harden is Editor-in-Chief of Medical Teacher and Emeritus Professor of Medical Education, University of Dundee, UK.

Pat Lilley

Pat Lilley is Managing Editor of Medical Teacher.