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‘Get up to speed’: GPs admit climate change knowledge gaps
A survey found 80% of GPs are concerned about its health impacts, but say their practice is not doing enough to address the issue.
More than half of surveyed GPs said they are making efforts to reduce their practice’s carbon footprint including reducing paper and using more renewable energy sources.
More than 80% of GPs are moderately or very concerned about the effects of climate change on health, but almost the same amount say their practice is not doing enough to address the issue, with knowledge gaps remaining.
That is according to an RACGP study designed to shape advocacy efforts and determine the resources needed to support GPs and their patients.
In collaboration with the University of Notre Dame, RACGP Specific Interests Climate and Environmental Medicine ran a first-of-its kind survey for college members last year to gather a snapshot of GPs’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours relating to climate change and health to better inform strategies.
Immediate Past Chair of the Climate and Environmental Medicine group, Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), and Adelaide GP Dr Kate Wylie, is co-lead of the project, ‘Climate change and health: A survey of attitudes, knowledge and behaviours of Australian GPs’.
‘Many of the respondents were concerned about the impacts on their patients’ health, but our findings also indicate that there is a sizeable number of our colleagues who are unaware that climate change is a health issue,’ she told newsGP.
‘This is despite us having a National Health and Climate Strategy and multiple state health departments devoting resources to climate change preparedness.
‘It means that messages like the call from the World Health Organization Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhamon Ghebreyesus, that “the climate crisis is a health crisis”, are not getting through to doctors on the ground.’
Key findings from the survey include that:
- 81% are ‘moderately’ (9%) or ‘very’ (72%) concerned about the effects of climate change on health
- 70% believe it is relevant to their practice
- 60% believe it is currently impacting patients’ health
- 50% had personally experienced the effects of climate change a ‘moderate amount’ or a ‘great deal’.
Dr Wylie said the 229 GP respondents fall into two broad groups: those very concerned about climate change’s health impacts and aware of its harms on Australian and global populations, and those who do not think climate change is impacting health at all.
‘[This second group] fail to see how it is relevant to their work,’ she said.
‘Perhaps this represents a lack of knowledge, and certainly about a third of our respondents said they either had no or only a little knowledge about climate and health.’
With GPs recognised as being
at the forefront of identifying, mitigating and managing the health impacts of climate change in their communities, the RACGP – one of many medical colleges that
have declared a climate health emergency –
says GPs must be supported and resourced to enable this.
Climate change-related health impacts within GPs’ duty of care include heat stroke and stress, burns and smoke inhalation from bushfires,
water-borne diseases from flooding, allergies and pollution increasing severity of illnesses, as well as the ongoing
mental and physical impacts of recovery.
Despite the majority of survey respondents expecting the health impacts of climate change will impact their patients in all areas in the next 10–20 years, there is a notable gap in preparedness.
GPs reported feeling their communities and practices have not undertaken strategies to adequately prepare for the effects of climate change.
In her role with DEA, Dr Wylie advocated for mandatory education of climate change for the health workforce in its 2025–26
Pre-Budget submission.
‘We are concerned that the medical workforce is underprepared to meet this emerging health threat,’ she said.
‘And just as we did with COVID, there is a need to rapidly get up to speed in order to put our patients’ health first.’
The survey also reveals that GPs tend not to discuss climate change with their patients, citing time pressures as the main reason, as well as thinking their patients will not be interested, or believing it is not their role.
‘This indicates a knowledge gap for many GPs,’ Dr Wylie said.
‘It is not surprising because until very recently there was no education about climate and health for the entire health workforce.
‘Curriculum for medical students and junior doctors has recently been upgraded to include climate change, but for GPs there is no requirement for us to learn about this immense health issue.’
Based on the results, the study authors made recommendations to support GPs, including more widespread education for GPs, support for decarbonising practices, and partnering with patients to discussing climate change with patients as it relates to health issues.
Around 70% of respondents believe their practice is taking ‘little or no steps’ to address the impacts of climate change and reduce their carbon footprint, indicating financial constraints as their primary reason for not doing so. Other reasons include a lack of understanding on what to do and not seeing climate change as a priority in the workplace.
However, 63% reported making efforts to reduce their own carbon footprint at work ‘a moderate amount’, including reducing paper via e-scripts, de-prescribing, providing high-value care, reducing unnecessary tests, and using more renewable energy sources.
Overall, Dr Wylie said the survey demonstrates that many GPs are ‘very concerned about our planet’s health’ and accept responsibility to try and improve it, but her concerns remain.
‘For others, climate change is simply not on their radar, despite 2024 being the hottest year in recorded history and so many of us now having experienced the increasing impacts of pollution, heat and extreme weather,’ she said.
‘There’s an old saying in medicine that “you don’t know what you don’t know”, and our medical colleges, like the RACGP, have a responsibility to ensure our workforce are up to speed regarding this immense and growing health problem.’
The RACGP’s climate change and health advocacy page has the survey’s detailed findings, as well as resources on how practices can reduce environmental impacts while improving outcomes for patients and staff.
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