Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health​

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is proud to be a founding member of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. Launched with nine member societies, the “Consortium” has grown rapidly and is now comprised of 33 medical societies, including America’s largest and most influential medical societies, representing over half the physicians in America. There are also 24 aligned health and science-based associations that are affiliate members. 

The Consortium was launched​ to start a conversation with the American public and policymakers about the health harms of climate change and the health benefits of climate solutions, and to build support for solutions. 

Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time and has major health and healthcare implications.  As some of the most respected professionals in America, doctors and nurses have a crucial part to play in raising awareness of the public about these issues.  To facilitate the medical community’s awareness-raising efforts, the Consortium brings together associations representing approximately 500,000 clinical practitioners to carry three simple messages:  

• Climate change is harming Americans today and these harms will increase unless we act;  
• The way to slow or stop these harms is to decrease the use of fossil fuels and increase energy efficiency and use of clean energy sources; and  
• These changes in energy choices will improve the quality of our air and water and bring immediate health benefits.  

Resources 

• ​Medical Alert! Climate Change is Harming our Health (endorsed by the AAP) 
  ​​This report serves as a basis for Consortium efforts to educate the public and policymakers in government and industry about the ways climate change is harming human health. It highlights the urgency of this challenge and provides direction on how to respond to climate change to improve the health of Americans today and in the future. The health harms and risks from climate change vary from region to region, but all regions of the country are affected. Doctors have a unique role to play in issuing this alert and closing the gap in public recognition of this danger.  
• Climate Change is Bad for Health – Dr Ahdoot's Story (video) 
  Watch this short video featuring Samantha Ahdoot, MD, FAAP, lead author of the AAP policy statement on Global Climate Change and Children's Health, speaking about how climate change is effecting children's health. ​ 

Get Involved in the Consortium 

• Sign up to receive updates from the Consortium  
• Become an Advocate for Climate and Health. The Consortium is seeking health professionals in every community in America who are willing to become an advocate for climate and health in their community, and possibly in their state capital. The Consortium will support you as an Advocate for Climate & Health by providing you with the materials you will need to educate members of your community, materials that are drawn exclusively from credible medical and scientific sources. The Consortium will also alert you – via email – of breaking news events that will create opportunities to educate members of your community about climate and health. And finally, the Consortium will alert interested journalists that you are potentially willing to speak with them about climate and health risks and opportunities in your community. Find out more! 
• Take Action with these additional resources.​