AB033. A rapid global review of climate action statements and activities across the clinical specialties
Abstract

AB033. A rapid global review of climate action statements and activities across the clinical specialties

Ming Cheng Yap1, Mengieng Ung2, Eugene Ares3, Renzo R. Guinto2

1Yale-NUS College, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; 2SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; 3University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines

Background: Climate change is increasingly recognized as one of the greatest threats to global health in the 21st century. While healthcare systems are both vulnerable to and significant contributors to climate change, the roles and responses from clinical specialty societies remain largely under-recognized. Understanding how these societies engage with climate action is critical to strengthening the health sector’s role in climate mitigation and adaptation. This study aimed to assess the extent and nature of climate-related statements, declarations, and initiatives issued by international clinical specialty societies, with a focus on their roles in promoting climate mitigation and adaptation within healthcare.

Methods: A rapid review was conducted to identify climate-related actions from major international specialty societies between January 2019 and December 2024. Using the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) classification, societies were systematically reviewed through their official websites. Identified materials were categorized by thematic focus (education, advocacy, research, clinical care, and operations) and by their alignment with mitigation and/or adaptation strategies.

Results: The findings, summarized in structured tables and a chronological figure, reveal uneven but growing engagement from clinical specialties. While general practice and public health societies demonstrated strong advocacy, fewer concrete actions were observed among specialty fields. Some societies addressed mitigation through low-carbon healthcare initiatives, while others focused on adaptation, including health system resilience and climate-informed clinical guidance.

Conclusions: Despite growing awareness, significant gaps remain in the integration of climate action into clinical practice across specialties. Stronger implementation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and integration of climate education into medical training are urgently needed. As the climate crisis intensifies, transforming climate action from a voluntary commitment into a professional obligation is essential to safeguarding human and planetary health.

Keywords: Climate adaptation; climate mitigation; sustainable health care

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab033
Cite this abstract as: Yap MC, Ung M, Ares E, Guinto RR. AB033. A rapid global review of climate action statements and activities across the clinical specialties. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB033.

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