Evidence & Resources | Climate Leadership & Environmental Action Network at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (CLEAN UNC)

“Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate change and pollution in their myriad forms present incontrovertible threats to human health.

If you would like to read more about the intersection of climate change, environmental health, and human health, we encourage you to explore the following resources:

Basic information about the science of climate change: NASA “Climate Change: How Do We Know?”
Key facts on links between climate change and global health: WHO “Climate change and health”
Extensive coverage of climate change and health: The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change
The links between climate change and health in the United States: US Global Change Research Program “The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment”
How climate change affects all medical specialties: NEJM The Climate Crisis — Health and Care Delivery
Resources for medical, nursing, public health, and allied health educators about climate change: Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education
Competencies for medical students and the role medical students can play in driving change at their institutions: J Med Educ Curric Dev The Unique Role of Medical Students in Catalyzing Climate Change Education
Competencies for medical residents: Academic Medicine Climate Change and the Practice of Medicine: Essentials for Resident Education
The US healthcare system’s significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global burden of disease: AJPH “Estimated Global Disease Burden From US Health Care Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions”
Climate change, health, and human rights: Health and Human Rights Journal, Volume 16, Issue 1
Excellent online course relevant to all healthcare professionals: Emory School of Medicine “Climate Crisis and Clinical Medicine Virtual Elective for Medical Students”
A more general course covering climate and health: Harvard via edX The Health Effects of Climate Change
Emergency physicians Jay Lemery and Paul Auerbach discuss the global environmental crisis and its implications for health in E nviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017)