Last year, Europe recorded the hottest summer in its history, and in response to this situation, twenty-five European universities have launched a network to equip more than 10,000 medical students with the knowledge and skills to respond to the impact of climate change on people’s health and offer more sustainable healthcare.
The European Network on Health and Climate Education (Enche), founded by the leading medical schools of Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, will be responsible for integrating teachings related to climate and health in curricula to ensure that medical students are able to recognize, prevent and treat the burden of the climate crisis on public health.
Among the Spanish universities that are part of the network are the University of Barcelona, with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the University of Navarra, with the Faculty of Medicine.
Climate change is one of the greatest current challenges and causes greater pressure on health systems that are already overwhelmed, Enche recalls. Factors such as extreme temperatures and air pollution worsen many diseases.
At the same time, the healthcare sector is contributing to the climate crisis, as approximately 5% of greenhouse gases come from healthcare. According to the WHO, 99% of people breathe polluted air and 7 million people die from air pollution every year. Furthermore, heat-related deaths could triple by 2050 if urgent action is not taken.
Today, medical-related studies do not consistently include teaching about the interconnection between climate and health. The ambition of this Network is to offer the best training to face future threats related to climate change on health.
The Network will be chaired by the University of Glasgow and will become a regional hub of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (Gcche) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. In its first three years, the European Network aims to train at least 10,000 students from participating universities with the latest scientific and educational resources, and inspire others to join the collaboration.
In addition, this Network will be supported by leading healthcare organizations, such as AstraZeneca, Sanitas (through its parent company Bupa), GSK, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Sanofi and the WHO, as members of the Health Systems Working Group. of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a public-private collaboration between CEOs and leaders of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies around the world committed to accelerating the decarbonization of healthcare systems. The Network is also supported by the WHO, the WHO Academy and the Coalition for Sustainable Health.
Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said: “The health impacts of climate change are not hypothetical threats in the future; They are here and now. WHO is helping countries build climate-resilient and climate-friendly health systems, including equipping health workers with the skills to address this important public health challenge. “I welcome the public-private collaboration that has helped drive this new education network, and hope it inspires action in other countries and regions around the world.”
For their part, from the University of Barcelona, they explain that “the challenge of climate change not only transforms our environment, but also redefines how we understand and practice medicine. At the University of Barcelona we are excited about the creation of Enche, which It will allow us to innovate in medical training, incorporating a holistic perspective that connects health and the environment. Our goal is to prepare future doctors to not only react to health crises, but also become agents of change in the world. “fights for a more sustainable and resilient health system.”
Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca and chair of the Health Systems Working Group of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: “The climate emergency is the biggest health emergency of our time, and healthcare professionals are on the front line in dealing with it. the growing health impacts of climate change. This pioneering network will ensure that the next generation of doctors is equipped to respond to the changing health needs of the population and offer more sustainable healthcare to their patients.”