Fossil fuels are the new tobacco when it comes to health risk

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/30/fossil-fuels-new-tobacco-health-risk

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As future doctors we call on the Wellcome Trust and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to remove their investments from fossil fuel companies. We share a responsibility to our future patients to address unmitigated climate change – described as “the biggest health threat of the 21st century” – and to advocate for a transition to a healthier, more sustainable economy. The British Medical Association has already divested and many other medical and health organisations are following suit. Continued investment in the fossil fuel industry violates health workers’ obligations to do no harm and grants the industry the social licence to explore and exploit still further reserves, resulting in catastrophic global warming.

Related: Group representing 1m medical students backs fossil fuel divestment

Of currently listed fossil fuel reserves 80% must remain unburned to keep surface temperature warming below 2C above pre-industrial levels. Climate change threatens health both directly through frequent flooding, heatwaves and natural disasters, and indirectly by worsening food insecurity, conflict and mental health. Fossil fuels also directly harm workers and local communities by toxic exposures, air pollution and local environmental degradation. A transition to renewable energy generation and low-carbon, active transport would prevent millions of deaths worldwide from cardiovascular, respiratory, and other diseases.

Thirty years ago, health professionals declared that investments in the tobacco industry violated their responsibility to protect and promote health. They triggered a wave of divestment that played a significant role in the tobacco control movement’s subsequent successes. The threat to public health posed by fossil fuels is even greater, but fossil fuel companies – just like the tobacco industry – continue to fund the subversion of scientific research into climate change and legislation directed at its mitigation. The arguments that led the health sector to divest from tobacco provide a still more compelling mandate for divestment from fossil fuels.

We call on the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation to divest from the fossil fuel industry and show the leadership we, as future health professionals, need to bring about a healthier, more sustainable economy.Lucas Scherdel University College London and national director, Medsin UK James Lawler University of Newcastle and president, Australian Medical Students’ Association Agostinho Sousa President, International Federation of Medical Students Associations Alice McGushin University of Tasmania Karen Zhang Monash University Natasha Abeysekera University of TasmaniaPaul Thuesen University of WollongongSuleman Atique Taipei Medical UniversityAmanda Zhou UNSWMaud Taylor Adelaide University Bryan Tan Monash UniversityTorunn Hjøllo University of BergenVijendra Ingole Umea UniversityNathan Cantley Queen’s University BelfastMustafa Uğur Özel Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Clarissa Soh UWA and Code Green officer, WAMSSSteve Pan University of Notre DameThomas Luckman University of TasmaniaImtiaz Hafiz University of DhakaMolly Wilkinson University Notre DameCharlotte Holm-Hansen University of CopenhagenPool Aguilar León Antenor Orrego Private UniversityGeorgia Diebold UNSWMatteo Dameri Genova UniversityJon Herriot University of SaskatchewanKatelyn Tadd University of MelbourneGarbrielle Fernandez University of QueenslandIsabelle Bruneau Université de MontréalCarmen Hayward Flinders University Claudel Petrin-Desrosiers University of MontrealRobin Dru St George’s, University of LondonEleanor Dow University of Edinburgh and national coordinator, Healthy Planet UKMadeleine Payne University of EdinburghRyan Forrest University of EdinburghAlexander Lewis Wade University of EdinburghRoshni Patel University College LondonCameron Stocks BartsDr G S MeadDr Jo Veltman Marcus Hollyer University of EdinburghColin Irving University of EdinburghPeter Eves EdinburghTrabelsi Souha FMTRacha Tohme University of BalamandWenzhen Zuo Université de Montréal and national coordinator of global health, Ifmsa-QCAnneleen Boel Ghent UniversityKelly Lau McGill UniversityShang-Jung Hsieh National Yang-Ming UniversityCamille Pelletier Vernooy Université de MontréalFabian Falkenbach Ruprecht-Karls-Universität HeidelbergHelen Zhang University of New South WalesAlisha Patel University of East AngliaNina Nguyen University of Sherbrooke

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