[Call to integrate climate change in medical education]

Abstract

Climate change forms an urgent health threat and gains attention in global medical literature as well as in Dutch healthcare. Climate change, however, is still absent in medical education. Health professionals must acquire knowledge concerning the health effects of climate change and train the values, skills, capacities, and motivation necessary to contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation. Dutch medical schools pay little to no attention to the theme of climate change and health in their curricula. In contrast, recent findings reveal that 83% of medical students in the Netherlands want to learn more about the health effects of climate change and that 72% of students believe the topic should receive more attention in their curriculum. Various research papers that have contributed to an outline for the implementation of climate and health education are discussed in this paper. We urgently call on universities, educators, and students to realise its implementation.