The Health Practitioner’s Guide to Climate Change: Diagnosis and Cure

There are enormous health benefits from tackling climate change. This book provides an introduction to the links between climate change and health and provides practical guidance for health practitioners from all sectors. It aims to inspire them to take action. The first part of the book provides an introduction for health practitioners and students to climate change and its current and future health impacts. It describes the relationship between health and the environment, gives facts and figures on greenhouse gas emissions and sets out the huge benefits to health of acting on climate change. A wealth of examples make the issues real such as exploring the link between how car dependence and lack of exercise contribute both to obesity and related health problems and to excess carbon emissions. It brings together carefully-selected, authoritative material in an accessible format for readers from a health background or with an interest in health issues. The second part describes what health practitioners can do at home and at work and in their organizations, how to make health services sustainable, how to design healthy, sustainable communities and how to support action in communities, nationally and globally. These can range from dieticians supporting healthy, low-carbon diets to sustainable procurement practices in hospitals to supporting the benefits of enhancing green space and access to nature. Readers are supported to undertake personal auditing and action planning, and to make use of the health-promoting processes of involving people and their communities. The book also provides information on how to help others change their behaviour to reduce their carbon emissions and improve their health. Sustainable living should become as important a public health issue as not smoking. Short sections with summary boxes and diagrams enable students and busy practitioners to dip in to areas of interest, such as transport, or buildings, or food and health. Key themes, such as the reduction of social and health inequalities, and the economic case for action, permeate the whole book. There is also a resource section highlighting key sources of further information on specific topics and sources of evidence on health and climate change linkages. Foreword by Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)