FAMILY PHYSICIANS & PROTECTING HEALTH IN NATIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Introduction & Objective: Among family physicians, there is growing recognition of the complex and multifaceted relationship between climate change and health. This study sought to analyze the role of health in national climate change plans, or Intended Nationally Determined Commitments (INDCs), with the hope of raising awareness among family physicians about the role and importance of the climate/health nexus and to inform advocacy within the family medicine community. Method: Each national climate plan (INDC) submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) prior to 30 November 2015 was analyzed to identify and characterize the role of health. Sections addressing health were then extracted and coded by two independent reviewers. When there was disagreement between coders, an independent third reviewer assess the data. Data were then analyzed based on UN regional groups. Results & Conclusions: Of the 184 INDCs analyzed, 121 (65.8%) include any mention of health, while 63 (34.2%) do not include any mention of health. There is significant variation across regions with African States (88.9%), Asian States (69.1%) and Latin American & Caribbean States (81.8%) demonstrating leadership in integrating health, while Western European & Other States (13.8%) and Eastern European States (13%) less frequently incorporating health in INDCs. Because tackling climate change is critical to promoting our patients’ health and demands a collaborative multisectorial approach, family physicians' can support health sector engagement in national climate change plans.