Time to treat the climate and nature crisis as one indivisible global health emergency

Kamran  Abbasi; Parveen  Ali; Virginia  Barbour; Thomas  Benfield; Kirsten  Bibbins-Domingo; Stephen  Hancocks; Richard  Horton; Laurie  Laybourn-Langton; Robert  Mash; Peush  Sahni; Wadeia Mohammad  Sharief; Paul  Yonga; Chris  Zielinski

doi:10.17305/bb.2023.9857

Authors

Kamran Abbasi Editor-in-Chief, British Medical Journal, London, UK
Parveen Ali Editor-in-Chief, International Nursing Review, Geneva, Switzerland; Professor of Nursing at Health Sciences School, University of Sheffield and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals , Aberdeen, UK; Lead, Sheffield University Interpersonal Violence Research Group, Sheffield, UK
Virginia Barbour Editor-in-Chief, JAMA, San Francisco, USA
Thomas Benfield Editor-in-Chief, Danish Medical Journal, Copenhagen, Denmark
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo Editor-in-Chief, JAMA; Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
Stephen Hancocks Editor-in-Chief, British Dental Journal, London, UK
Richard Horton Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet, London, UK
Laurie Laybourn-Langton Chatham House, London, UK; University of Exter, London, UK
Robert Mash Editor-in-Chief, African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine; Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Peush Sahni Editor-in-Chief, National Medical Journal of India; Professor and Head, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
Wadeia Mohammad Sharief Editor-in-Chief, Dubai Medical Journal, Dubai, UAE; Director, Medical Education and Research Department, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, UAE; President, Emirates Family Medicine Society, Dubai, UAE; President, Family Medicine Scientific Council, Arab Board of Health Specialization, Dubai, UAE
Paul Yonga Editor-in-Chief, East African Medical Journal, Nairobi, Kenya; CA Medlynks Medical Centre and Laboratory, Nairobi, Kenya
Chris Zielinski President-elect, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), Lombardy, Italy; Visiting Fellow, University of Winchester, Wichester, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bb.2023.9857

Keywords:

Editorial, COP28, climate, nature crisis, global health emergency

Abstract

Over 200 health journals call on the United Nations, politi- cal leaders, and health professionals to recognize that climate change and biodiversity loss are one indivisible crisis and must be tackled together to preserve health and avoid catastrophe.
This overall environmental crisis is now so severe as to be a global health emergency.
The world is currently responding to the climate crisis and the nature crisis as if they were separate challenges. This is a dangerous mistake. The 28th Conference of Parties (COP) on climate change is about to be held in Dubai while the 16th COP on biodiversity is due to be held in Turkey in 2024.