UK Health Alliance on Climate Change

A Letter to the Mayor of London: Transforming London into a Plant-Based City for Health, Environment & Economy 🌱 UK Health Alliance on Climate Change is calling on Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan to take bold action by adopting a “plant-based by default” policy for public sector catering. By making plant-based options the default in public institutions, London could set a global example for health-conscious, sustainable urban living. The benefits are clear: ✅ Health: Reducing processed red meat consumption could lower obesity-related diseases and ease pressure on the NHS. ✅ Environment: A plant-based food system can reduce emissions and help meet climate goals. ✅ Economy: This transition presents an opportunity to boost innovation and attract investment in sustainable food. We’re excited about the potential for London to become a leader in sustainable, plant-powered living and are eager to work with the Mayor’s office to bring this vision to life. Read the letter here > https://lnkd.in/eBJ_tYTE #SustainableCities #PlantBasedByDefault #HealthAndClimate #UrbanSustainability #LeadershipForChange #GreenEconomy #NHS #PlantPoweredPlanet

🌍 Health Leaders Call for Health to Be Central at COP29 As the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) approaches, health leaders across the UK are urging the government ministers to prioritize health in the discussions. In a letter signed by 28 UK-based health organizations, UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has emphasized the urgent need to address the health impacts of climate change and nature loss. Climate change is already causing excess deaths, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, mental health issues, and strain on health services due to extreme weather and air pollution. The World Health Organization has identified climate change as the greatest threat to global health, and the need for rapid action is now critical. The health leaders are calling for: 🌐 Global Leadership: UK must take bold action to phase out fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to renewable energy. 💰 International Financial Commitments: Ensure financial support to vulnerable nations, which are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. 🏃♀️ Health in Climate Action: Recognizing the catastrophic health consequences of inaction and the significant health co-benefits of appropriate climate solutions. The health and climate crises are deeply interconnected, and the UK must lead by example to protect both people and the planet. As COP29 approaches, it is vital that health is placed at the heart of climate discussions, ensuring a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable future for all. Read the letter here > https://lnkd.in/etu5bYWX #COP29 #HealthAndClimate #ClimateAction #SustainableFuture #HealthAtCOP29 #GlobalLeadership #ClimateFinance #RenewableEnergy #ClimateCrisis #HealthForAll

🚨Equinor and Ithaca Energy want to develop Rosebank - the biggest undeveloped oil field in the UK Despite warnings from climate scientists and experts, the controversial Rosebank oil field was approved by the previous government last year. Burning Rosebank's oil and gas would produce more CO2 than the 28 poorest countries do in a year. This would also bust UK climate targets - Rosebank is not compatible with a safe climate. Rosebank won’t do anything to lower our energy bills, save jobs or make our energy supply more secure. Despite oil giant Equinor and Ithaca making billions off the back of the energy crisis, the UK public are set to hand over billions in tax breaks for them to develop Rosebank. Approving fields like Rosebank only makes us more dependent on expensive, polluting oil and gas for longer. People want change: not the same rip-off energy system where oil giants walk off with massive profits while we’re left with higher bills, declining jobs and a worsening climate crisis. 👊 The biggest field deserves the biggest fight. It’s time for a rapid and just transition to homegrown clean affordable energy that prioritises community and justice. In 2021, we successfully stopped the Cambo oil field by making Shell pull out of the project. We can do it again. Together, we can #StopRosebank - add your name, as an individual or as an organisation here > https://lnkd.in/ehSb6QRA To learn more about the health impacts of the climate crisis and why a just transition to clean renewable energy is vital, read our policy report here > https://lnkd.in/e3VZ6_Gf #StopRosebank #StopNewFields #NoNewOil #NoNewGas #EndFossilFuels #Unhealthy #Health #JustTransition #ClimateJustice #PeopleOverProfit #Equinor #StopEquinor #NHS

Call for interviewees and case studies on climate adaptation and health Our next policy report on climate adaptation and health will specifically address ways to enhance NHS climate resilience. To support this, we are seeking nominations for healthcare professionals and NHS administrative staff willing to share their insights through interviews. These conversations will help identify key issues, opportunities, barriers and facilitators in creating a resilient NHS equipped to tackle climate-related challenges. UKHACC member organisations are asked to nominate individuals interested in contributing to this work. Interviews will be scheduled for December 2024 and January 2025, lasting up to one hour, and will be recorded and transcribed. All data will be fully anonymised to protect participant confidentiality. We are also seeking case studies on successful (or unsuccessful) interventions to make healthcare facilities and the broader health sector climate resilient. Deadline: 20 November 2024 More details here > https://lnkd.in/e_MyF8uw

This year's Lancet Countdown UK policy brief highlights 3 critical priorities for health: 😷 reducing air pollution 🌳 protecting populations from extreme heat 🏥 advancing a low-carbon, climate-resilient healthcare sector Read the policy brief here > https://lnkd.in/e94G-d4c #LancetClimate24 The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change British Medical Association Royal College of Nursing - Company Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) The UK Kidney Association

To build an NHS fit for the future, the GOV.UK , NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care need to make plant-based choices the new norm and phase out processed meat in hospitals by 2030. A modelling study found that serving only meat-free meals in public catering could save the NHS £74 million a year and this saving can be increased to £2.2 billion per year if everyone had a meat-free lunch five days a week. Almost 60,000 doctors' annual salary can be funded with that amount! Read the full report > https://lnkd.in/e-z6Eztb #Plantbased #ClimateChange #Health #PublicHealth #NHS #UK #Doctors

Take a look at UK Health Alliance on Climate Change October newsletter for many updates, exciting opportunities and news from the climate x health world. https://lnkd.in/eSwEdaAB Richard Smith Elaine Mulcahy Dr. Anandita Pattnaik

Today on On #WorldFoodDay, we went to the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver a letter from health professionals calling for adoption of "plant based by default" approach for NHS hospitals in the UK as a part of “Plant First Healthcare Campaign”. This comes off the back of a policy report by the UKHACC called "Plant Powered Planet: Building healthy and sustainable food systems" which has 5 recommendations for the health sector, one of which is promoting a plant based by default approach. Similar to New York hospitals. It would have health, environmental and economical benefits for the NHS and the UK public. Plant-Based Health Professionals UK #Nhs NHS England Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/e-z6Eztb Plant first healthcare campaign: https://lnkd.in/eA6xNvmp

Today, the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has published a new policy report: Plant-powered Planet: Building a Healthy & Sustainable Food System 🌿 Following the report, Colette Fox, our Head of Programme at ProVeg UK, shared: "We’re really happy to hear that healthcare services are being encouraged to proiritise nutrition, and the planet. Transformation of the UKs food system is urgently needed to tackle the health and climate crises we’re facing. Hospital plates, much like school plates, need a revolution, where both the recipient and the planet will benefit from a sustainable menu. We’ve already seen immensely positive change through our School Plates programme, and know that a better food system is completely possible. This feels like a great next-step." The report puts forward six recommendations for the governments of the UK to drive a just transition to sustainable and healthy food systems: - Drive sustainable agricultural transformation  - Cut food waste by half by 2030 - Fuel innovation by investing in a sustainable, plant-powered food future - Develop a new national food strategy with plant-based food at the core - Revolutionise school meals by promoting health and sustainability with plant-based choices for the next generation - Subsidise and incentivise plant-based choices and cut red meat and dairy by 30% by 2030 Find the full report here: https://lnkd.in/e-z6Eztb

⚕️What is the role of healthcare professionals in promoting healthier, more sustainable diets?⚕️ New report from the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change calls on the UK government to support the proliferation of healthier, more sustainable diets to help overcome climbing rates of diet-related ill health and reduce the climate impact of the food system. As part of its recommendations, the report specifically highlights the need for more investment in the development of healthy, affordable and delicious plant-based alternatives, along with government recommendations on fortification standards for both plant-based dairy and meat. Plant-based meat and dairy can offer convenient and familiar foods to people looking to adopt more plant-forward diets, and typically also contain less saturated fat and more fibre than their conventional counterparts. Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/e-z6Eztb #healthcare #nutrition