Medical schools in Europe to expand climate-related health training
Medical schools across Europe are adding more courses on diseases and conditions worsened by the climate crisis, including mosquito-borne illnesses and heatstroke.
Kat Lay reports for The Guardian
In short:
- A network of 25 medical schools led by the University of Glasgow will educate future doctors on the health impacts of climate change.
- Training will cover diseases like dengue and malaria, heat-related conditions, and ways to reduce healthcare's carbon footprint.
- Students will also learn to promote environmental health initiatives like walking, cycling, and "green prescribing" for patients.
Key quote:
"The doctors of the future will see a different array of presentations and diseases that they are not seeing now. They need to be aware of that so they can recognise them."
— Dr. Camille Huser, University of Glasgow
Why this matters:
The climate crisis is accelerating the spread of diseases once limited to the tropics and increasing health risks related to heat and pollution. Educating future doctors to manage these challenges can help protect public health as global temperatures rise.
Read more: Training the next wave of doctors in climate medicine
