RACGP represents on national climate change expert group

Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Climate and Environmental Medicine, Dr Catherine Pendrey, has been appointed to the Australian Government’s new Climate and Health Expert Advisory Group (CHEAG). 
 
Established to provide advice on reducing the impacts of climate change on Australia’s health, the CHEAG will build on the progress of the National Health and Climate Strategy after its launch at COP28 in December by Federal Health and Aged Care Assistant Minister Ged Kearney.
 
Minister Kearney, who is Chairing the new CHEAG, said the strategy is a ‘whole-of-government plan’ to address the negative effects of climate change on health and wellbeing, which sets actions to reduce the health system’s contribution to climate change.
 
The RACGP has long called for action on climate change, backing a duty of care Bill to address the health impacts for future generations, and urging for health system emissions to be measured, models of care to be explored and mitigated to reduce waste, fossil fuels to be phased out, and more investment to be made in renewables.
 
Dr Pendrey said she is honoured to represent Australia’s GPs and their patients on the CHEAG. 
 
‘Doctors in every corner of the globe are seeing the health impacts of climate change every day,’ she said. 
 
‘Bushfires, heatwaves, floods, and storms kill, cause injuries and long-term mental health impacts – and they’re more frequent and severe because of climate change. 
 
‘The health impacts of climate change today, and for future generations, should be considered in Government decisions, and I applaud the Government for establishing [this] Expert Advisory Group. 
 
‘To protect the health of children born today, we need the Australian Government to go further and stop approving new fossil fuel developments.’
 
Dr Pendrey joins Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, Royal Australasian College of Physicians President Professor Jennifer Martin, and Public Health Association Australia President Professor Tarun Weeramanthri, alongside more than two dozen members from the health and academic sectors sitting on the CHEAG.
 
Immediate past RACGP Climate and Environmental Medicine Chair, Dr Kate Wylie, who is Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia, has also been appointed to the CHEAG. 
 
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins welcomes the appointments, noting that GP representation on the CHEAG highlights the college’s growing influence in advocacy.
 
‘As Chair of our Climate and Environmental Medicine Specific Interests group, Dr Pendrey is well placed to advise on the impacts of climate change on human health,’ Dr Higgins said.
 
‘Safeguarding human health from the risks of climate change is a priority for the RACGP. 
 
‘Climate change is a global public health emergency, and GPs worldwide are seeing the impacts on their patients’ health, wellbeing and livelihoods.
 
‘There is an urgent need to increase community and health system resilience in Australia – our leaders need to act now.’
 
The CHEAG is expected to meet three times a year, with the first meeting held this month to discuss progress on key actions to implementing the National Health and Climate Strategy.
 
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climate change environmental medicine Expert Advisory Group public health RACGP advocacy