Climate change threatens to undo decades worth of global health gains but the health community can help to stop this

The author contends that the fossil fuel industry is the primary obstacle to climate progress, using lobbying and financial influence to block government action and corrupt international negotiations. Drawing a parallel to the tobacco divestment movement, the text argues that divestment removes the 'social license' of fossil fuel companies. It specifically calls on highly trusted UK health professionals and institutions, such as Royal Colleges, to divest from fossil fuels to create a ripple effect that pressures other investors and politicians globally.

• The fossil fuel industry actively obstructs climate progress through extensive lobbying and financial influence, despite some companies publicly claiming to support the Paris Climate Agreement. For example, Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell are estimated to spend about $50 million annually on lobbying against climate action.
• Fossil fuel influence has compromised international climate negotiations, with a 2017 Corporate Accountability report stating that these companies use their access to UNFCCC talks to stifle ambition and block financing for real solutions.
• Divestment is presented as a tool to stigmatize the fossil fuel industry and remove its 'social license,' similar to how the health community's role in the tobacco divestment movement led to stronger anti-tobacco legislation.
• UK health professionals are uniquely positioned to lead divestment efforts because they are among the most trusted professionals in the UK, according to a 2017 Ipsos Mori 'Veracity Index' poll, which would make their opposition to fossil fuels highly influential to politicians.

APA

Duff, D. (2019). Climate change threatens to undo decades worth of global health gains but the health community can help to stop this. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/blog/climate-change-threatens-to-undo-decades-worth-of-global-health-gains-but-the-health-community-can-help-to-stop-this/

Chicago

Duff, Diedre. Climate change threatens to undo decades worth of global health gains but the health community can help to stop this. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2019. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/blog/climate-change-threatens-to-undo-decades-worth-of-global-health-gains-but-the-health-community-can-help-to-stop-this/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Duff |first1=Diedre |title=Climate change threatens to undo decades worth of global health gains but the health community can help to stop this |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=5 July 2019 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/blog/climate-change-threatens-to-undo-decades-worth-of-global-health-gains-but-the-health-community-can-help-to-stop-this/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{duff2019climate, author = {Duff, Diedre}, title = {{Climate change threatens to undo decades worth of global health gains but the health community can help to stop this}}, publisher = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/blog/climate-change-threatens-to-undo-decades-worth-of-global-health-gains-but-the-health-community-can-help-to-stop-this/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }