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Australia鈥檚 major health and medical groups have signed an to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, calling on the federal government to scale up emissions reduction strategies to prevent premature deaths and declining health outcomes associated with climate change.

and the (AMA) have joined more than 55 health and medical groups in signing the letter, which calls for three key actions from the federal government:

1. Prioritise health in Australia鈥檚 Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement.
2. Commit to decarbonising the healthcare sector by 2040, and establishing an Australian Sustainable Healthcare Unit.
3. Implement a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Wellbeing for Australia.

Air pollution from fossil fuels kills 5700 Australians annually, and the Australian megafires of 2019鈥�20 killed 33 people directly and hospitalised more than 4000 people suffering ill effects from the associated smoke pollution.

Executive Director Fiona Armstrong said, 鈥淭he signatories of this letter include major stakeholders in Australia鈥檚 largest economic sector: health and social services, which employ over 1.5 million people. We are collectively urging the government to heed these calls to avert an escalating health crisis from climate change.鈥�

Chief Executive Alison Verhoeven said, 鈥淲e witnessed firsthand the direct and indirect health impact of climate change during the Black Summer bushfires and again this year during the NSW floods. This letter demonstrates the health sector鈥檚 commitment to addressing climate change, and it鈥檚 time our leaders matched this commitment.鈥�

Joining HESTA and the AMA in signing the letter are organisations including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, the Australian Healthcare and 黑料吃瓜群网s Association, the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, Doctors for the Environment Australia, and the Climate and Health Alliance.

Sustainable Healthcare Convenor Eugenie Kayak said, 鈥淭he widespread health harms from climate change are profound, and impact all Australians and health services through increases in injuries and deaths from severe weather, mental health conditions and more.

鈥淓very sector must play its part to curb climate change. Health care, which is guided by the principle to 鈥榝irst, do no harm鈥�, has an added duty to protect health by being part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, and urgently reducing its large carbon footprint in line with the science to limit global warming to 1.5掳C.

鈥淭he recovery from one health emergency, COVID-19, should be embraced as an opportunity to address our other global health emergency 鈥� the climate crisis.鈥�

鈥淲e expect governments to make responsible decisions to protect the health of all citizens, as demonstrated during the current COVID-19 epidemic,鈥� General Secretary Brett Holmes said. 鈥淥ur government can no longer bury its head in the sand and refuse to address the climate health emergency.

鈥淲e are committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of nurses and midwives, and this extends to the communities they live and work in. Many communities are still recovering from devastating floods, catastrophic bushfires or prolonged drought, which have significant health implications 鈥� from air pollutants through to mental health impacts.

鈥淲hile many of us are cutting emissions or embracing sustainable health care, our government is shirking its responsibilities. Too many lives have been lost or put at risk. It鈥檚 time our decision-makers act to protect people鈥檚 health, by acting on climate change.鈥�

Click to see the full list of signatories.

Image credit: 漏stock.adobe.com/au/bennymarty