VIDEO: Physicians must amplify message that climate change is ‘important to our health’

SAN DIEGO — Physicians must continue to emphasize the health effects of climate change, according to Nitin S. Damle, MD, MS, FACP, an assistant professor of medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and past president of the ACP.

During his presentation at the ACP Internal Medicine Meeting, Damle discussed three of the most significant conditions related to climate change — heat-related illness, respiratory illness and vector- and waterborne diseases — as well as mass migration and effects on food insecurity and mental health.

Because of the far-reaching implications, Damle underlined the important role that physicians play in educating patients, legislators and local and national government officials that climate change “is the existential issue of our time” and “important to our health.”

“If we don’t act within the next decade or so, we will see some consequences that will change the way that we live,” he said.

Reference:

• Damle N, et al. Improving patient health during climate crises. Presented at: ACP Internal Medicine Meeting; April 27-29, 2023; San Diego.