Sir, We are sad at the responses to Muir Gray’s article on the health impacts of climate change (Opinion, May 25). Many still seem to select isolated comment from poorly assessed sources, and trumpet that “climate change doesn’t exist” or that “it isn’t caused by man”. Both are wrong.

In climate change, as in medicine, one must challenge and weigh all the evidence, consult experts in the field and discern where the truth lies. This process is long over. Consensus has been reached — and not just among environmentalists. The leading scientific bodies of leading world countries including France, Brazil, Sweden, Malaysia, the Caribbean, Italy, the Irish Republic, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, China, Germany, India and Britain all concur. Politicians agree — including the new US president. So, too, does the WWF, the Zoological Society of London, the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research, the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the UK Meteorological Office, as well as leading oil industry figures, and nearly 2,000 of the world’s leading climate scientists who constitute the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Such consensus does not occur by chance. The evidence comes from drawing together observations from many sources — the most convincing being from Arctic ice caps, showing that carbon dioxide levels are higher now than for many thousands of years and rising at an unprecedented rate. Recent “coolings” in temperature are within the normal year-on-year variations.

Medical professionals will be reminding this group that there are immediate benefits to be had from action now, mainly about how we move, how we eat and how we redistribute resources more fairly around the globe — all of which are fundamental to health and welfare.

Denial is, of course, a well- recognised defence when faced with bad news. But in climate change, as in medicine, denial does not prevent disease progression.

Professor Hugh Montgomery

Director, UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance, London

Dr Mike Gill & Dr Robin Stott

Co-Chairs, Climate and Health Council

Dr David Pencheon

Director, NHS Sustainable

Development Unit

Dr Tony Waterston

Paediatrician, Newcastle

Helen Moffatt

Chief Executive, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Mustafa Abbas

Head of Healthy Planet Medical Student Campaign

Sir, Dr Bob Bury asks why doctors should be raising awareness of the impact of climate change (letter, May 26). The reason is that climate change is the biggest health issue of the 21st century according to the World Health Organisation.

As GPs we are inextricably linked with both the problems and solutions. Rising temperatures will mean more heat waves, unsettled weather and a change in disease pattern and prevalence. At the same time the NHS is a massive consumer of resources with the potential to lower its carbon footprint.

GPs have led the way in speaking out on smoking, alcohol and obesity. To remain quiet in this case would be letting our patients down, now and in the future.

Professor Steve Field

Chairman of Royal College of General Practitioners

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