Health For Future is a global movement of people from all health professions working on climate action, inspired by Fridays For Future. The counterpart in Switzerland was launched at the global climate strike on 29 November 2019. All people are invited to join this movement and become active!
Our commitment is based on the scientifically founded recognition that further global warming poses a great risk to human health and existence, ecological biodiversity and thus all living things on earth. As members of the health sector, we recognize our special responsibility to society to demand and support climate protection. We are particularly committed to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disadvantaged, children and people from climatically exposed regions.
We would like to
- Communicate climate change as a key health issue
- Raise awareness of the health consequences of the climate crisis among the public, other health professionals and policy makers
- Demonstrate the potential of climate-friendly and sustainable lifestyles for (individual and public) health (e.g. more plant-based diets, non-motorized exercise)
- Develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the health sector (Green Hospitals), with the goal of climate neutrality
- Develop psychological support measures for the mental health consequences of the climate crisis
- Integrate planetary health content into research and teaching at medical faculties
- Encourage pension funds to completely phase out fossil fuel investments
- Promote a strong network of health professionals and an exchange between health professionals in Switzerland
Healthy people only exist on a healthy planet.
Reasons to act
- Because direct climate protection measures represent the greatest opportunity for improving individual and global health and preventing chronic diseases
- Because a change in lifestyle (especially a switch to a low-meat/meatless, regional diet and non-motorised exercise) can both contribute to climate protection and is central to the prevention and treatment of the most important common diseases of our time (cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, rheumatism and cancer).
- Because, according to the WHO, compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 (less than 2 °C warming) will lead to one million fewer deaths per year by 2050
- Because the health benefits of climate protection would be twice as high as the costs, according to the latest estimates
- Because the health sector has a large ecological footprint and more resource efficiency here would reduce both health risk factors and over-treatment
