What does the climate crisis require of health professionals??
Originally published in the Sudbury Star on Aug. 7, 2021
Harvard physician Dr. Alexander Leaf was, by all accounts, an exemplary human being, quiet and humble, a man of wide-ranging interests and skills. Numerous obituaries published after his death in 2013 attest to his accomplishments as a physician, a leader, a teacher, a mentor, and a researcher.
In 1961, Leaf became a founding member of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). In an era of profound Cold War tension, PSR warned Americans about the dangers of nuclear proliferation, and advocated for a nuclear-weapons-free world. Their work contributed to the signing of a Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
The late 1960s yielded a Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty, which ushered in a decade of détente. The relative peace was shattered in 1979 by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
A year later, one of history’s most unlikely medical meetings took place in Geneva: a get-together of six American and Soviet physicians. Across the divide imposed by the Iron Curtain, a meeting of minds took place, and two principles took shape:
Physicians have a responsibility to protect life and preserve health
Nuclear war is profoundly dangerous
Out of that meeting, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was born. Alexander Leaf became a prominent member. Four years later, IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for spreading authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare.”
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. That same year, Alexander Leaf penned the first significant medical paper on the potential health effects of climate change for the New England Journal of Medicine. His conclusion: “The expense [of action] may be considerable, but the cost of doing nothing is incalculable.” Leaf later wrote in his 1996 memoir: “There are social and man-made hazards with possible disastrous consequences to human health.” No doubt he had nuclear weapons and greenhouse gases in mind.
Today, there’s a movement afoot to propel the world’s nations towards a Fossil-Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The parallels with anti-nuclear weapons activism should be apparent. I’m pleased to report that one hundred Nobel Laureates, including thirty winners of the prize in Physiology and Medicine, and countless other scientists, academics, and health professionals (including me), have joined the Dalai Lama to demand that fossil fuels be left in the ground.
The proposed treaty’s focus on fossil fuels highlights a perplexing point: although the 2015 Paris Agreement was a significant step forward, it neglects to actually mention coal, oil, or natural gas. That’s an odd oversight, when you think about it.
In contrast, proponents of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty don’t mince words when it comes to the fossil fuel trio. Such a treaty would require a firm commitment from all the world’s nations to stop any further expansion of coal, oil, and natural gas production, phase out all existing production, and fund a peaceful, just transition to renewable energy for all people.
This year, a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons came into force.
Sounds great, huh? The only problem is this: not one of the nuclear nations signed on. We can’t let that happen with fossil fuels. We must do better, because although humanity may yet avoid nuclear annihilation, there will be no escape from the laws of physics. The more fossil fuels we burn, the hotter things will get on this planet, and the worse it will be for us and our health.
I suggest it’s time to expand on the principles laid out by physicians like Alexander Leaf, and organizations like the PSW, and the IPPNW:
Health Professionals have a responsibility to protect life and preserve health
The burning of fossil fuels is profoundly dangerous to human health.
And it's time to ask ourselves: What then is required of us?
Personally? Professionally? And above all, Politically?