Joint statement: Super giant and leading health and medical groups call for PM to take action on escalating climate health threats

Monday, May 3, 2021

JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT

HESTA Super Fund and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) have joined over 55 health and medical groups in signing an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, calling on the federal government to scale up emissions reduction strategies to prevent premature deaths and declining health outcomes associated with climate change.

Air pollution from fossil fuels kills 5,700 Australians annually, and the Australian megafires of 2019-20 killed 33 people directly and sent over 4,000 people to hospital suffering ill effects from the associated smoke pollution. According to health groups, ambitious climate action will “unlock substantial benefits from a healthier and more prosperous society.”

The open letter calls for three key actions from the federal government:

  1. Prioritise health in Australia’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement;
  2. Commit to decarbonising the healthcare sector by 2040, and establishing an Australian Sustainable Healthcare Unit; and,
  3. Implement a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Wellbeing for Australia.

Climate and Health Alliance Executive Director Fiona Armstrong said, “The signatories of this letter include major stakeholders in Australia’s largest economic sector: health and social services, which employ over 1.5 million people. We are collectively urging the government to heed these calls to avert an escalating health crisis from climate change.”

Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association Chief Executive Alison Verhoeven said, “We witnessed firsthand the direct and indirect health impact of climate change during the Black Summer bushfires and again this year during the NSW floods. This letter demonstrates the health sector’s commitment to addressing climate change, and it’s time our leaders matched this commitment.”

Joining HESTA and the AMA in signing the letter are another 55 organisations, including Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, Doctors for the Environment Australia, and the Climate and Health Alliance. See the full list of signatories below.

See a range of quotes below or for media interviews please contact Remy Shergill on 0423 075 895

Resources:

Quotes:

Climate and Health Alliance Executive Director Fiona Armstrong:

“The Australian government has an opportunity to reverse Australia’s reputation as a climate laggard by committing to bold ambitious action to reduce emissions, and be part of delivering unprecedented economic and health gains for our nation and the global community.”

“The signatories of this letter include major stakeholders in Australia’s largest economic sector:  health and social services, which employ over 1.5 million people. We are collectively urging the government to heed these calls to avert an escalating health crisis from climate change.”

Media contact: Remy Shergill, 0423 075 895

 

Doctors for the Environment Australia Sustainable Healthcare Convenor, Eugenie Kayak:

“The widespread health harms from climate change are profound and impact all Australians and health services through increases in injuries and deaths from severe weather, mental health conditions and more.

“Every sector must play its part to curb climate change. Healthcare which is guided by the principle to ‘first, do no harm’, has an added duty to protect health by being part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, and urgently reducing its large carbon footprint in line with the science to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

“The recovery from one health emergency, COVID-19, should be embraced as an opportunity to address our other global health emergency-- the climate crisis.”

Media contact: Carmela Ferraro, 0410 703 074

 

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association General Secretary, Brett Holmes:

“We expect governments to make responsible decisions to protect the health of all citizens, as demonstrated during the current COVID-19 epidemic. Our government can no longer bury its head in the sand and refuse to address the climate health emergency.

We are committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of nurses and midwives and this extends to the communities they live and work in. Many communities are still recovering from devastating floods, catastrophic bushfires or prolonged drought, which have significant health implications – from air pollutants through to mental health impacts.

While many of us are cutting emissions or embracing sustainable healthcare, our government is shirking its responsibilities. Too many lives have been lost or put at risk. It’s time our decision makers act to protect people’s health, by acting on climate change.”

Media contact: Gia Hayne, 0488 015 317

 

Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association Chief Executive, Alison Verhoeven:

“Climate change significantly impacts the health of all Australians, the broader health system and the global community. We witnessed firsthand the direct and indirect impact it has during the Black Summer bushfires and again this year during the NSW floods.

“This letter demonstrates the health sector’s commitment to addressing climate change, and it’s time our leaders matched this commitment too.”

Media contact: Alison Verhoeven, 0403 282 501

 

NB: The open letter was also sent to Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor, Health Minister Greg Hunt, Environment Minister Sussan Ley, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, Shadow Health Minister Mark Butler, Shadow Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, and Shadow Minister for Government Accountability, Kristina Keneally.