DAUK has condemned a decision by US President Donald Trump to revoke the 2009 \u2018endangerment finding\u2019 that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Doctors Association UK warned the move posed a serious threat to global public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Matt Lee, DAUK\u2019s sustainability lead, said: \u201cThe health impacts of climate change do not respect national borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDecisions made in Washington affect disease burdens worldwide, including in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The so-called endangerment finding formally established that greenhouse gases endangered public health and welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has provided the legal foundation for federal emissions controls in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its removal dismantles a cornerstone of evidence-based public health protection at a time when the health impacts of climate change are intensifying, said Dr Lee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DAUK emphasised that climate change was not solely an environmental issue but a public health crisis with immediate consequences for patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rising temperatures are increasing heat-related mortality, air pollution from fossil fuel combustion is driving cardiorespiratory disease, and extreme weather events are disrupting healthcare systems, destroying homes and threatening food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shifting climate patterns are also expanding the geographic range of infectious diseases. These harms are documented, measurable and affecting patients now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By stripping away the scientific and regulatory basis for controlling greenhouse gas emissions, DAUK said the decision represents a rejection of evidence-based policymaking in favour of ideology, with predictable and preventable impacts on patient safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DAUK\u2019s position is clear in that climate action is health protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Lee said: \u201cTrump’s actions are anomalous on the global scene, with more than 99% of scientists across the world agreeing that climate change is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and is already harming human health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe USA is an outlier in increasing it’s reliance on fossil fuels, with even China’s emissions now in decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut we cannot let that distract from demonstrating climate leadership in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo be clear, any political party that is threatening to rollback environmental protections or scrap net zero poses the very same threat to human health in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe must, as healthcare professionals should always do, focus on the science, challenge misinformation and encourage our leaders to take stronger climate action for the sake of all our health.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n