Climate change poses a significant threat to global health, yet medical curricula across Europe often lack comprehensive coverage of this critical issue. Recognizing the urgency, a new initiative, the European Network on Climate and Health Education (ENCHE), aims to equip future doctors with the knowledge and skills needed to address the growing impact of climate change on patient health.
A Growing Health Crisis
Europe is experiencing unprecedented changes in climate patterns, leading to extreme temperatures, rising air pollution, and increased risks of infectious diseases. These changes are putting immense pressure on healthcare systems across the continent, exacerbating existing health challenges and creating new ones. Dr. Ana Rakovac, consultant chemical pathologist and general (internal) medicine physician at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, emphasizes the growing urgency:
>“The north of Europe is becoming warmer and wetter, the south of Europe is becoming warmer and drier, and Europe is now the fastest-warming continent in the world. Increasingly extreme temperatures and rising air pollution levels are exacerbating infectious and chronic diseases, respiratory illnesses, antimicrobial resistance, and mental health conditions, leading to thousands of deaths and intensifying pressure on already overstretched health systems across Europe. ”
Dr. Rakovac highlights the need for medical professionals to recognize the evolving landscape of diseases, stating, “Doctors across the continent are not adequately aware of the health consequences of climate change for their patients and are not recognizing presentations of diseases not traditionally acquired within Europe. In a talk to resident doctors recently, I told them if they are assessing someone who has been in southern Italy or southern France, they have to start thinking of dengue as a differential diagnosis. There were over 130 locally acquired cases of dengue reported in the EU/EEA last year. So we need to start thinking of these diseases in the differential diagnoses of people returning from travel within Europe, not just Southeast Asia,” she added, emphasizing the potential increase in malaria cases within Europe due to climate change.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap: ENCHE’s Mission
Recognizing this critical gap, ENCHE, launched in 2023, brings together 25 leading medical schools across Europe. Supported by the World Health Organization and major healthcare providers, ENCHE aims to equip at least 10,000 medical students with the knowledge and skills needed to address the health impacts of climate change.
Anthony Goodings, a final-year medical student, underscores the importance of comprehensive climate change education in medical curricula. “I hope to see all medical schools in Europe adopting a much more comprehensive approach to teaching these topics. ENCHE is a great way to have the topic of climate and health fully integrated into curricula so it has a much larger role, which it definitely deserves.” Goodings is also a student officer for Irish Doctors for the Environment, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the impact of climate change on health.
ENCHE’s approach goes beyond simply raising awareness. The network aims to integrate climate change education across various aspects of medical training, encouraging sustainable practices within healthcare systems and empowering doctors to contribute to decarbonization efforts.
Dr. Camille Huser, PhD, deputy head of undergraduate medical school (biosciences) at the University of Glasgow and co-chair of ENCHE, emphasizes the urgency of equipping future doctors with the necessary skills. “Medical students need to be trained and prepared for both [climate impacts] and how to practice more sustainably to reduce future health burdens. Our aim is that all future doctors are aware of the interconnection between climate and health and are equipped for their future professional practice.”
Professor Colin Doherty, MB BCh BAO, head of the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, sees ENCHE as a vital step in addressing this gap. “It is not a tick-box exercise. If we are not teaching healthcare workers about the consequences of climate change, then what chance is there for citizens?” he asks. Doherty believes ENCHE’s collaborative approach will provide valuable resources and expertise to medical educators across Europe.
The future of healthcare depends on educating the next generation of doctors to address the complex challenges posed by climate change. ENCHE represents a significant step towards ensuring that future doctors are equipped to tackle these challenges head-on.
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