Climate and environment

Red line - End expansion of any new fossil fuel infrastructure and production, phase out existing production and use of fossil fuels and remove fossil fuel subsidies, investing in renewable energy (RACGP Advocacy Plan 2026-30)

We are rapidly discovering that we can no longer ignore climate and environmental change, if this was ever in doubt. But our political leaders and business interests are responding by abandoning attempts to phase out fossil fuels, actively expanding mining and drilling, and watering down our already weak environmental laws. They seem unable to tolerate any proposed solution which might impact corporate profits or improve our resilience in the face of unstable international supply chains. We are to remain on the end of a fossil fuel umbilical cord while we stand by and watch our land and seas plundered, being grateful a few short term jobs.

As rational, scientific professionals we know this is wrong. I believe our response needs to place environment and climate as key red line issues. Dr Nicole Sleeman, Chair of the RACGP Climate and Environment SIG, sent me some questions early in the campaign and my reply summarises my main thoughts. The second of their questions asks about the RACGP 2026-2030 Advocacy Plan, within which environment and climate goals can be found on page 25 (of 38 packed pages of commitments). In case you missed them, they are: 

  • Adopt a ‘health-in-all-policies’ approach that maximises the synergies between good climate policy, health and the wider determinants of health

  • Fully fund the implementation of the National health and climate strategy.

  • Commit to a ‘net zero’ healthcare system by 2040 with the majority of greenhouse gas emissions cut by 2030

  • Introduce legislation to require government to consider the health and wellbeing of current and future children when making decisions likely to result in substantial greenhouse gas emission increases and contribute to climate change

  • End expansion of any new fossil fuel infrastructure and production, phase out existing production and use of fossil fuels and remove fossil fuel subsidies, investing in renewable energy

  • Adopt legislation and regulation to prevent communities experiencing detrimental health effects from harmful exposure to air pollution

The fifth point seems like a good College red line to adopt - specific, easy to monitor and not overly subject to political avoidance strategies. If we cannot get commitment to this then we are unlikely to see real action on the other points.

Note: The CEM-SIG email also asked about an advocacy goal relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health found earlier in the Plan (“Establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Coalition on Climate and Health as recommended by the Lowitja Institute”). This goes beyond conventional advocacy and starts to address issues of climate justice and the unequal impact of climate and environmental change on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and warrants inclusion in its own red line (see ….) An excellent webinar on climate justice (“Impact of climate change on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities: a health perspective”), was facilitated by the CEM-SIG on 6 August 2026.

CEM-SIG Questions:

1) As President, how would you raise the profile of Climate Change as an urgent health issue among the public, politicians and to RACGP members?

2) What would you do as President to advance and implement the Climate Change priorities in the RACGP Advocacy plan?

3) What is your understanding of climate resilience as it applies to General Practice, and what would you do to engage and support the Australian General Practice community in climate resilience and low-carbon health care?

My reply on 5/8/26:

Climate change and environmental degradation are core health issues – ecosystem and climate health is human health. As such, this area should be a core advocacy goal for the College.

My own background includes time as the coordinator of a peace and environment centre, personal environmental and climate activism, and support of direct action. I fully support the RACGP Advocacy Plan, which argues for net zero, phasing out fossil fuel production, reducing pollution, and increasing renewables. As GP’s we will be frontline in treating the health impacts of environmental and climate instability, which puts us in a strong position to demand action.

But the agenda being played out in real time by governments and powerful corporations is to abandon any commitments to net zero, expand fossil fuel production, weaken or remove environmental regulations, and undermine renewables. This is not a time for quiet lobbying, important as this can be in sowing the seeds of an alternative future.

What can the College do?

A good start would be a clear statement of opposition to this agenda, with support materials explaining why the climate and environment are the main imminent threats to the health of our patients. These should be available to members who are prepared to take a stand in their practices and networks, with strong public support from the College against the almost inevitable backlash.

Building alliances with other organisations is also key – organisations such as Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Climate and Health Alliance need our ongoing support and will almost certainly be the target of increasingly aggressive attacks from powerful political and corporate forces.

We also need to acknowledge that no issue is a single issue anymore. We are in an “Everything everywhere, all at once” moment. We won’t be able to achieve environment or climate goals if Australia becomes a political oligarchy, if we become embroiled in more wars, if we tolerate ongoing inaction around first nations rights, or if we ignore the very real risk of successful attacks on women’s health and rights. I believe that addressing these and other intertwined issues requires the College to bring more members on board at a direct policy level (my suggestion: via a randomly selected council with the ability to add to Board agendas and initiate member polls on key issues). And then to use our public trust and moral authority to make alliances and advocate loudly on those issues on which we can have the most impact.

Encouraging sustainability of our own workplaces is also important and I believe we have plenty of information and committed members to allow us to further embed this in College activities from accreditation through to registrar teaching and GP CPD. I don’t think the CEM SIG needs more ideas here, just support for implementation.

Resilience is finally starting to become a more widely accepted priority, even by climate deniers. We as GP’s need to clearly explain how vulnerable our work is to climate and environmental instability. It’s not just floods and fires but also the impacts of prolonged heatwaves, interruptions to supply chains, delayed reconstruction post-disasters, impacts on health care staff impairing their ability to work. And the list goes on. There has been a lot of good work in this area and, again, there are plenty of folk more qualified than me to suggest how to publicise this and help members to talk about this and work towards resilience in their own practices and communities. You should expect the College’s full support.