Experts discuss climate and health at People's Emergency Briefing
Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE joined colleagues from King's and South London and Maudsley (SLaM) for a discussion on climate change, health and workplace and individual action, following a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing.
A recent film screening of The People's Emergency Briefing brought together staff and students from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, to discuss climate change, health and actions needed from individuals and organisations.
Guest speaker Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE, Co-Chair of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, and the film's expert speaker on the topic of health, joined Dr Dan Harwood, Clinical Sustainability Lead at South London and Maudsley, and Sara Kassam, Director of Sustainability at King's College London. The event was chaired by Dr Uzma Zahid, Research Fellow, IoPPN.
The film, which is presented by broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham, brings together leading experts to explain what the latest science says about the climate and nature crisis, how it is already affecting people's lives, and what can still be done to address it.
Opening the discussion, Professor Montgomery reflected on the scale of the challenge facing humanity: "We are past seven out of nine planetary boundaries," he said. "We've already triggered one tipping point through the die-off of warm-water coral reefs, and there are seven more tipping points which are close to, or at risk of being crossed. The reality is actually much worse than what's in the film."
Embedding sustainability across King's and South London and Maudsley
Dr Dan Harwood and Sara Kassam shared in their opening remarks how sustainability is being integrated at both South London and Maudsley and King's College London.
Sara Kassam outlined King's Sustainability Strategy, launched earlier this year, which takes a holistic approach organised around three themes: education, research and innovation, and operations. She expressed the importance of looking at the structures and practices that shape academic life in order to create systemic change.
Dr Harwood outlined the work of the Trust’s clinical sustainability group which brings together clinicians from different disciplines to complete projects related to environmental sustainability in the Trust. Examples included promotion of plant-based diets, enhancing the biodiversity of the Bethlem site, and supporting service users to take more physical activity through nature based walks and horticulture.
SLaM Pharmacy have led on reducing waste and encouraging appropriate prescribing and the group are developing evidence-based care pathways for asthma treatment in in-patient care.
Audience questions followed, exploring themes such as collaboration, climate anxiety and tackling big changes in academia and the NHS.
What can healthcare organisations do?
Dr Harwood explained how in the NHS, one of the most significant carbon footprints is from the number of inpatient beds in a hospital, and highlighted opportunities to improve preventative care and shift services further into the community as key priorities for a more sustainable healthcare system. He highlighted that “green care is good care” and that avoiding unnecessary investigations, being a thoughtful prescriber and helping patients to be more active are all “green” actions.
Professor Montgomery pointed to opportunities within procurement, banking and food systems, noting that changes could deliver both environmental and health benefits. In the UK, obesity is a major health challenge: 63% of adults are obese or overweight, costing society £126 billion a year, and this is deeply connected to our food systems. Change is possible though - for example New York City Health + Hospitals system now offers plant-based meals as the default option, which has been received very positively by patients.
Overcoming climate anxiety to collective action
The discussion also explored how to protect mental health and avoid burnout while working on climate and sustainability issues.
Professor Montgomery emphasised the importance of community, and finding a network of people to connect with who share your concerns, and that individuals do have influence, saying: "You all have the thing that you can do that will change your constituency."
Dr Harwood added that small actions, from recycling to having conversations about climate change, can help people feel better. Kassam quoted abolitionist organiser and writer Mariame Kaba, saying that "hope is a discipline."
Bridging the gap between research and clinical practice
Audience members discussed how King's and South London and Maudsley could work more closely together, and maximise the potential to strengthen connections between researchers and clinicians.
King's works with three NHS Trusts, however Kassam highlighted the disconnect between strategic goals and the day-to-day realities and administrative challenges which prevents change from taking place.
"Everyone is an expert in their own field," she said, explaining that the King's sustainability team aims to remove barriers to action, but also needs teams to come forward and ask for support.
Dr Harwood reflected on the amount of expertise that remains hidden across the partnership, and highlighted the importance of finding ways to translate research into clinical practice and ensuring innovations reach the people who can benefit from them.
Calling out unnecessary air travel in academia
Dr Uzma Zahid introduced the IGUANA programme, which provides funding for IoPPN staff to travel by train to conferences in Europe, and suggested that King's could be doing more to curtail the use of air travel for academic events. She said: "Flying to a conference to speak for a day is just not necessary."
Sara Kassam reflected on how academic prestige is often linked to speaking at international conferences, but highlighted the barriers for those with caring responsibilities and other commitments.
"Sustainability is also about equity and justice," she said.
Professor Montgomery suggested that society should challenge environmentally damaging norms in the same way it has challenged other harmful behaviours, such as sexism.
Seven acts to change the world
The discussion closed with Professor Montgomery's 'Seven Acts to Save the World' and called for social mobilisation.
"If we act, someone around us will follow. If someone sees someone they respect or are close to doing something, the research shows they are more likely to take action."
He encouraged attendees to think about the influence they have in their own communities, particularly through spending power – how changing banks and where you spend your money can leverage the markets and make a difference. By encouraging others to make changes as well, it has the potential to have a knock-on chain of action.
Suitability Hidden Heroes
Finally, Dr Zahid and Dr Harwood launched their new initiative - 'Sustainability Hidden Heroes' to celebrate the people who are helping create a more sustainable future, inspiring others and making change happen every day, who may not always be recognised.
If you know someone who deserves to be recognised, you can nominate them here.
Have a question? Please email Dr Daniel Harwood (Daniel.Harwood@slam.nhs.uk) for SLaM enquiries or Dr Uzma Zahid (uzma.zahid@kcl.ac.uk) for IoPPN enquiries.