UPDATE: The Global Health Statement on Coal Plants was launched on May 18th with the signatures of 82 organizations from 30 countries representing more than 300,000 doctors, nurses, and public health professionals and advocates. Read more.
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In anticipation of the upcoming G7 Summit* in Japan on May 26-27, health professionals and health organizations around the world are invited to sign a statement calling on the G7 nations to accelerate the global transition away from coal-fired electricity in order to protect public health from the effects of air pollution and climate change.
- Read the full statement
- Sign the statement as an individual by Friday, May 13
- Sign the statement on behalf of your organization by Friday, May 13
An excerpt from the statement:
On behalf of health professionals around the world, we call on the G7 nations to accelerate the global transition away from coal-fired electricity.
Eliminating air pollution from coal-fired power plants provides immediate and significant air pollution-related health benefits and health care savings. A coal phase-out also slows climate change, thereby reducing current and future illnesses and deaths from heat waves, droughts, malnutrition, flooding, air pollution and wildfires.
… The agenda of the 42nd G7 summit in Japan includes a discussion of ways to strengthen the response to public health emergencies and to ensure the provision of lifelong health care services. By phasing out coal power, we can produce significant immediate and long-term health benefits around the world by improving air quality, reducing emissions of mercury, and slowing climate change.
The initiative is led by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, in consultation with Health Care Without Harm, the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, and the Health and Environment Alliance.
* The Group of Seven (G7) Summit is an annual meeting in which the heads of government from seven countries — Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, along with the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission — discuss global challenges such as the global economy and trade, security, development, energy, and health.
