A call for strengthening climate change education for all health professionals

An open letter from the WHO-Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate Change and Health urging health professional educational institutions to integrate climate change and environmental degradation into their curricula to prepare the workforce for future health risks.

• The WHO-Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate Change and Health calls on health professional educational institutes, including deans, academics, and licensing bodies, to ensure graduates can "identify, prevent, and respond to the health impacts of climate change and environmental degradation."
• The document identifies a global deficiency in climate change education for medical students, noting that programs for future doctors are "lacking worldwide" and frequently "student-led." Additionally, a survey of 160 health professional schools highlighted barriers to integrating this content, specifically a "lack of institutional support."
• The Working Group proposes four specific calls to action: integrating climate and health competencies into curricula, accreditations, and professional development; providing a health lens for other sectors' educational programs; advocating for more funding and resources for research and education; and sharing educational resources.
• The Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE), which includes more than 250 health professional schools across over 40 countries, has developed a "core competencies" framework. This framework has received endorsement from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health in the European Region, as well as the American Association of Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health in North America.
• The document lists several existing educational initiatives, including the Caribbean Climate and Health Responders Course, a Planetary Health MOOC from Brazil, a "Global Health at the Human-Animal-Ecosystem Interface" course from the University of Geneva, and Humanitarian Youth Clubs in Kiribati focusing on sexual and reproductive healthcare during crises.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (n.d.). A call for strengthening climate change education for all health professionals. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Curriculum-letter.pdf

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. A call for strengthening climate change education for all health professionals. n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Curriculum-letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=A call for strengthening climate change education for all health professionals |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Curriculum-letter.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalclimateandhealthalliancendcall, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{A call for strengthening climate change education for all health professionals}}, publisher = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Curriculum-letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }