Climate change
Feature
T he World Health Organization ( WHO ) and the Lancet Commission on Health ( Lancet ) have both recognised climate change as a global health emergency , with the potential to undermine the last half century of health gains ( Watts et al 2015 ; WHO 2018 ).
The Lancet then emphasised that measures to tackle climate change would be ‘ the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st Century ’ in co-benefits of actions taken to promote cleaner air , healthier lifestyles and more liveable cities .
It established the Lancet Countdown , an annual stocktaking of global progress on climate and health .
Governments of the world agreed with this , leading to the historic Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 , in which countries agreed to limit their emissions to avert climate catastrophe . Then , in the ensuing years , UK policies and corporate investments have not only continued , but expanded the development of fossil fuels , in direct contradiction to their pledges .
The 2021 report states : ‘ With current commitments putting the world on track to 2.4 ° C of warming , the cost of inaction on climate and health will vastly outweigh the costs of acting now . Rapid decarbonisation could prevent most of the 3.3 million deaths from air pollution that occur each year , the 842,000 deaths associated with excessive red meat consumption , and result in better physical and mental health from higher exposure to nature and more physical activity ’ ( Lancet Countdown 2021 ).
Despite the knowledge that decarbonisation will be both cheaper and better for our health , and the repeated ‘ code red ’ warnings from the scientific community , the UK government insists on shortterm policies that lock us into higher dependence on fossil fuels .
Protest and action
Frustrated by the disconnect between government rhetoric and reality , health professionals have added their voices to those raised by young people .
As occupational therapists , we consider our patients ’ environment as a crucial element . This includes not only local factors such as access to the health-giving benefits of green space , but larger considerations of clean air and water , safety and security .
The disability rights organisation Sustain Our Abilities has pointed out that disabled people are among those most vulnerable to extreme weather events .
It states on its website : ‘ This might include inability to see or hear early warnings , or to tolerate
[ With ] the world on track to 2.4 ° C of warming , the cost of inaction on climate and health will vastly outweigh the costs of acting now .”
close quarters in evacuations , and for many people there are multiple challenges such as requiring a wheelchair for mobility , a ventilator to breathe , and assistance for self-care ’ ( Sustain our Abilities 2019 ).
Disabled people are on the frontline of climate change . As occupational therapists , our concern for our patients motivates us to stand up against policies that will increase the frequency of climaterelated extreme weather events .
Occupational therapists were among the dozens of healthcare workers that took part in Extinction Rebellion protests in April 2022 and previous protests in 2019-2021 . We seek a phase out of fossil fuels and policies that provide a just transition to a sustainable future .
While politicians initially congratulated Greta Thunberg and the youth movement for waking the world up to the climate crisis , their stance has shifted to condemnation .
A common argument is that protest is not an appropriate way to enact change – but this misses the fact that every other means attempted to enact change over the last 40 years has failed . Scientists and concerned citizens like us have been signing petitions , writing to politicians , sending urgent emails , taking actions to reduce our own carbon footprint and anything else we can think of , while emissions have continued to rise .
Our side of the story
We have written this article to give our story . We all care about our patients , our families and our planet , and we want to reach out to occupational therapists everywhere to help them to understand why we took part in these ‘ radical protests ’.
Some of us have been involved in environmental activism for years , while others are new to it . We are not anarchists , terrorists or ‘ eco-nazis ’. We are simply very concerned about our current and future patients , our children and all other lives that we share this planet with .
Louise , an occupational therapist working in independent practice near Bath , explains : ‘ Many healthcare practitioners try to encourage and
June 2022 OTnews 41