As a medical Royal College, RCPCH is focusing efforts on placing the impact on health at the heart of climate change activity. This action plan is the start of a three-year Climate Change programme with dedicated resources in place and involvement from 80 members.
The action plan is led by members across five workstreams working towards six overall ambitions, which include advocating for change in the UK and internationally, advancing research, supporting members, developing training, reducing the College’s carbon footprint, and, importantly, promoting children and young people’s advocacy on the climate crisis.
As part of the commitment to improving child health, the College recognises the threat that climate change poses to the health and wellbeing of children and young people, both now and in the future. The action plan follows the College declaring a climate emergency in October 2020 and forming a Climate Change Working Group in March 2021. At the end of the three years, it is expected that climate change and sustainability will be embedded in ongoing activities across the College.
Welcoming the action plan, Dr Camilla Kingdon, RCPCH President, said:
As a College, we are determined to play our part in tackling the climate emergency and specifically highlighting the impact on children around the globe. Every one of us has a responsibility here – to consider personally what our response is, and also professionally, in terms of educating ourselves so we can advocate effectively and consider the impact of poor air quality and other consequences of climate changes on the lives of the patients we care for.
Dr Liz Marder, RCPCH Treasurer and Climate Change Oversight Group Chair, said:
I am immensely proud to be responsible for chairing the RCPCH climate change oversight group. We are committed to using the collective voice and expertise of paediatricians to help focus the climate change agenda on the physical and mental health impacts faced by children and young people, in the UK and globally.
Members can find out how to get involved in the College’s climate change work here.