“Climate Pact for Health” launched

Prof. Karl Lauterbach: “Our healthcare system must adapt to the consequences of climate change: to the heat, to new clinical pictures – and in extreme cases also to new pandemics. Climate protection is therefore also active health protection. Only by working together can we succeed in preventing climate change from worsening and at the same time prepare the system for new health risks. With our declaration we are giving the starting signal today!”

The main contents of the declaration:

· The actors agree that the concerns and goals agreed upon in the declaration will be further specified. To this end, there should be a regular exchange of experiences and promising concepts.

· Those responsible in health and care facilities, kindergartens, schools, companies and municipalities should be supported in making the framework conditions in these living environments health-promoting and at the same time climate-friendly and in sensitizing and empowering people to adopt climate-protective and climate-adapted behavior.

· The actors want to use their options for action in the different supply areas and take sustainability and climate protection criteria even more into account in the future. This includes, in particular, energy savings, energy renovation, waste avoidance, sustainable procurement, use of renewable energies and efficient use of resources.

· Another important concern is to generate and use scientific evidence and epidemiological knowledge. This means that new health threats, such as the spread of infectious diseases that were previously rare in our country, can be identified more quickly, and knowledge about the interactions between climate change and health can be taken into account in everyday care and integrated into training, further education and training offers.

· Public awareness of the health consequences of climate change should also be strengthened through information, education and communication. In this context, for example, the health benefits of plant-based nutrition and non-motorized transportation should be made even more visible.

You can find the full text of the declaration “Climate Pact for Health – working together for climate adaptation and climate protection in the healthcare system”. here.

The signatories of the “Climate Pact for Health” are:

• ABDA – Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations
• Academy of Public Health
• Federal Medical Association
• Federal Ministry of Health
• Federal Dental Association
• German Hospital Society
• German District Association
• German Nursing Council eV
• German Association of Cities and Municipalities
• German Cities Day
• Conference of Health Ministers of the Federal States (GMK)
• National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds
• Conference of Ministers and Senators for Health of the Federal States (GMK)
• Association of Private Health Insurance eV