The UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is pleased to announce that climate and ecological activist Greta Thunberg has accepted an Honorary Membership of the Faculty.
Greta Thunberg’s activism to raise awareness of the climate and environmental crises we face has supported a paradigm shift in the urgency with which the world seeks to tackle climate change and ecological degradation.
First challenging Swedish Parliament to take stronger action on climate change and then addressing world leaders at the United Nations climate conference in 2018, Thunberg has come to represent the voice of a generation which recognises the need for immediate collective action to protect planetary and human health.
More recently, as populations across the world have fought COVID-19, Thunberg has recognised the need for worldwide equity of access to COVID-19 vaccination, understanding that no single nation can tackle this global pandemic alone.
Greta Thunberg said…
“I am proud to accept this Honorary Membership of the Faculty of Public Health, and happy that public health professionals recognise the need for immediate and drastic action to protect our environment.
World leaders must start to realise how the climate, ecological and health crises are interlinked. Right now we are creating the perfect conditions for diseases like Covid-19 to spill over from other animals to us. Protecting our environment is protecting nature and all animals, and protecting ourselves.
I thank the Faculty of Public Health for their support of our greatest mission – to safeguard our present and future living conditions.”
FPH President Professor Maggie Rae said…
“I am pleased that the Faculty of Public Health has been able to recognise the achievements of Greta Thunberg by bestowing her with an Honorary Membership of the Faculty.
Public Health professionals recognise the great threat of climate change, and it is this that led the Faculty of Public Health to declare a climate emergency in 2019.
Human activity is changing the planet’s biosphere, bringing disruption to planetary health through climate change, air pollution, ocean acidification, deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
Unless we act with urgency to protect our global ecosystem it is both human and planetary health that will suffer the very worst consequences.
It is voices such as Greta’s that are driving this necessary change, and I thank her for her internationally recognised work.”
