BMJ  2008;336 (26 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39469.569815.47

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Climate change: permission to act

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Last month Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, called climate change the defining issue for public health for the 21st century (www.who.int/dg/speeches/2007/20071211_maryland/en/index.html). Why are her words important? Because they place climate change squarely in the health arena. They give doctors not just permission but a professional duty to work to tackle climate change. So, what should doctors do?

A J McMichael and colleagues explore the risks to health and social equity posed by climate change and environmental degradation (doi: 10.1136/bmj.39392.473727.AD). Rising temperatures and extreme weather will bring shortages of food, water, and fuel and loss of homes and livelihoods. Promoting strategies that reduce the vulnerability of the world’s poorest communities will be important, but these authors say that the greater challenge for health professionals lies in helping to stop the process of climate change.

As well as raising awareness of the health risks of . . . [Full text of this article]

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