Climate crisis: Over 200 health journals urge world leaders to tackle “catastrophic harm”

More than 200 health journals have called on governments to take emergency action to tackle the “catastrophic harm to health” from climate change. The joint call reinforces the need for an emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health

The joint editorial says that while recent targets to reduce emissions and conserve biodiversity are welcome, they are not enough and need to be matched with credible short and longer term plans.

The editorial was published simultaneously on 6 September in 233 international titles including The BMJ, the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, the East African Medical Journal, the Chinese Science Bulletin, the National Medical Journal of India, and the Medical Journal of Australia. A full list of authors and signatories can be found here: .

The plea is trying to reach the upcoming UN General Assembly, in September, 2021, which will bring countries together at a critical time for marshalling collective action to tackle the global environmental crisis. They will meet again at the biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, and the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, UK.