Climate change, paediatric health and ways that digestive health professionals can engage

Digestive health professionals can contribute to everyone’s future by addressing the existential threats posed by climate change (CC) in our practices, our professional societies and our communities. In this commentary, we introduce the implications of CC for children and adolescents, and provide ways that all physicians, nurses, trainees and managers, whether caring for children or adults, can add CC advocacy to their professional and personal lives. CC and paediatric health Without robust, urgent action to mitigate carbon emissions and adapt to the impacts of CC that are already occurring, CC will ‘define the health’ of children for generations.1 The ways that CC threatens the well-being of children have been well described, with important implications for digestive health.2 Climate-driven disasters disrupt water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, and place children at risk for physical and psychological trauma.3 CC contributes to malnutrition through several pathways,...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Editor's choice, Gut Commentary Source Type: research