Guide to health and climate change launched in Parliament

Yesterday, we held a reception in the House of Lords to celebrate the publication of The Parliamentarians’ guide to health and climate change.

It was hugely encouraging to see so many parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, scientists, health experts and representatives from a wide range of organisations and sectors come together.

If there was one message that came through loud and clear, it was that climate change and nature loss are already affecting people's health and the risks are serious and, in many instances, accelerating.

But importantly, we are not powerless in the face of these challenges, as we have the evidence, we know many of the solutions and that the return on investment of tackling climate change and nature loss with a health lens is enormous.

A big thank you to Wellcome, our expert authors, the many organisations who have supported us and to our speakers for their inspiring contributions (highlights below).

The publication of the guide is just the starting point - we look forward to working with all of you to put its evidence and recommendations into action.

This summer has shown us all why this guide is so important. Climate change is not something in the dim parts of the future we need to worry about, it is happening now and it is absolutely affecting our health. But we're not powerless in the face of these risks. In fact, we know what the solutions are, and the guide sets out in practical ways what we can do to prepare… It's not simply about avoiding harm, it's about making choices that can deliver real benefits to public health, but also for the wider economy. Professor Baroness Kathy Willis, Chair of Peers for the Planet 

It's a really important document. It's a substantial document. I can just say to all the parliamentarians here, you'll get at least ten speeches out of this document. We need to make the political argument that you need to look at the evidence. We do not do enough of that in politics. And we need to absolutely insist that in this debate most of all, we need to look at the reality of what's actually happening…The public really are with us and we need to be ready to give the leadership and support that they will demand of us if we don’t start taking key actions soon. Baroness Curran, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The guide is so clear and it is so wonderful to have the expertise of all these authors here, who are putting it in front of us as parliamentarians, and it is really going to be very useful to us. Lord Nigel Crisp, Crossbench Peer

One of the things that I was most excited about when Peers for the Planet asked me to contribute to this, is that there's so much that we can do, particularly in this country, that has such power from science, through to government, to address this crisis, like no other. The report has a lot of recommendations for you. They're really actionable, they're really concrete… And knowing that this is now in the hands of you, of parliamentarians that have the power to drive that change, is enormously rewarding. Professor Marina Romanello, Institute for Global Health, University College London

This guide will provide a lot of answers – if there's a question coming up, if there's a debate, you're going to be able to find a lot of answers here. The information in this booklet is user friendly, it's to be used and it's for all parliamentarians. We cannot wait. We have to move, and it is really our responsibility. Baroness Rosie Boycott, Vice-Chair of Peers for the Planet

Climate policies are, in fact, health policies. They save lives, they reduce pressure on the NHS, and they strengthen our economy. The guide does a fantastic job at highlighting many of the opportunities of practical policy choices available to us all… At a time when policymakers face very difficult choices, access to robust scientific evidence is more important than ever. Good policy depends on good evidence, and this guide is intended to help bridge the gap between research and action. Alan Dangour, Director of Climate and Health, Wellcome Trust