The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), having considered the objective, reliable scientific evidence, believes that climatic changes are already happening; that human activities are now the primary cause of these; and that future potential changes present the singular most significant threat to individual health and wellbeing as well as to society.
Environmental health practice and philosophy is founded upon a core rationale that demands that we tackle the issue of climate change as a matter of the greatest urgency. As human beings, we are entirely dependent upon and affected by the environments in which we live and work and by the basic essentials of life – adequate shelter, safe water, food and air. The evidence shows that failure to take adequate steps now will mean significant future threats to these.
We believe that human health must be at the heart of and should be the key driver for action on climate change. This focus on health and the threats that climate change poses to it must be embedded in the political debate, in strategies to change how we live and in how we plan for the future.
The science also clearly shows that there is still time, albeit very little, to prevent the worst potential climate change impacts. However, to do so will require bold, radical, collective action to what is a shared problem by governments, public services, businesses, communities and individuals at local, national and global level. At the same time as striving to prevent climate change escalating, we must also plan now in order to adapt to changes and consequences that are now inevitable. Political leaders at national and local level and business leaders have now to demonstrate real leadership and commitment to tackling climate change.
Environmental health practitioners in the varied areas of activity have the understanding, skills and opportunities within communities to make a major contribution to addressing the challenge. The CIEH will work to ensure that these skills are honed, knowledge is increased and EHPs are able to make these contributions in practice.
As a leading national and international organisation committed to the maintenance and improvement of environmental and public health CIEH is committed to playing its part in addressing the challenge that climate change presents and in supporting our members and stakeholders in whatever ways as are appropriate to do likewise.
In order to do so we will
- ensure that climate change is a central consideration within all of our policy work and that priorities for activities will always have a climate change dimension and must be able to show how they will impact on adaptation and mitigation of climate change
- act to reduce our carbon emissions and will measure these with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions year on year – introducing a system of carbon accounting
- continue to advocate for both mitigation and adaptation interventions within the public, private and voluntary/community and Non Governmental Organisation sectors
- support and challenge policymakers and decision makers as and where opportunities arise through the provision of relevant advice and expertise
- contribute to research that expands the evidence base and understanding and contributes to these policy aims
- develop further support for our members in their efforts to engage with this agenda and contribute as part of the public health workforce and in order to do so establish a continuing dialogue with them
- continue to further revise and reform our ways of working including travel needs to ensure that the organisation minimises its environmental impact and operates in an environmentally ethical manner
- continue to develop our international work through our members and with other stakeholders, in particular efforts to assist the developing world