Public Health Scotland publishes first climate change and sustainability strategy
Public Health Scotland (PHS) has published Climate change and sustainability strategic approach 2023-2026, Working together to build a greener, fairer, healthier future. In the report, PHS sets out its ambition for strong collaboration in adopting a rights-and-values-based public health approach to tackle the climate and ecological crisis.
The strategy addresses:
- Climate, health and equity: Contribute to achieving a just transition to net zero and build climate-resilient, healthy and equitable communities
- Co-benefits of climate action: Deliver co-benefits for population health and equity
- Scotland’s population health challenges: Ensuring climate and sustainability considerations are embedded in all our work to address Scotland’s population health challenges
Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) worked closely with PHS to engage multi-sectoral, multi-agency partners and stakeholders, including local and national government, the third sector, the NHS, and other public bodies and academia. The strategy builds on a wealth of comments, insights and suggestions from SSN members who engaged closely with the process.
Reflecting on the engagement process and strategy, George Tarvit, SSN Director, writes:
“ SSN looks forward to continuing to work with PHS as they drive forward their strategy and encourage PHS to use their membership of SSN as a vehicle to support collaborative implementation.”
“We will collaborate with partners and stakeholders across the whole system to address the interlinked challenges of climate change, population health and equity. Individually and collectively, our actions must protect and promote the health and wellbeing of our people and planet. This is our chance to build a greener, healthier and fairer society". - Paul Johnston, Chief Executive of Public Health Scotland
"Tackling the twin crises of climate change and nature loss is the collective fight of our lifetime, with huge implications for generations to come. From wildfires to flooding, this is affecting our lives right now in Scotland and across the world and the need for climate leadership could not be more urgent. The connections between tackling the climate crisis and improving public health are clear. We welcome the role that Public Health Scotland is playing in this area and look forward to working with them as they deliver on the vital goals of this strategy.’" - Màiri McAllan, Net Zero Secretary