Climate Change & Health Network – AMSA Australia

Name of the activity: Climate Change & Health Network

Country/NMO: AMSA Australia

Program: Environment and Health

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Education

Focus area: Climate Change, Health Sustainability and Green Hospitals

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life below Water)

Problem statement:

Climate change is one of the greatest global health threats. The impacts on human health are vast, from NCDs, mental illness and infectious diseases to human displacement, refugee crises and food insecurity. Globally, the healthcare sector accounts for 4.4% of net CO2e emissions and 7% in Australia. This reinforces the need for the healthcare sector to take action to address its own carbon footprint to prevent further harm to human health. 

Target groups:

• Medical students
• Healthcare Students

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Medical students
• Healthcare Students
• Doctors
• Other health professionals

Objectives:

Objective 1: to improve medical and healthcare students’ knowledge on the health impacts of climate change and the role of the health sector through capacity building by the end of the CB program sessions. 

Objective 2: students’ are able to develop and implement an advocacy project to improve healthcare sustainability in their local hospital or community health by the end of the advocacy program sessions. 

Objective 3: students’ are able to advocate to their local hospital or community health to register under the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals program.

Indicators of Success:

Ios 1.1 At least 50% of students reported that the CB sessions improved their knowledge and awareness of the issues surrounding climate change and health 

IoS 1.2 At least 50% of students were able to identify an increased number of impacts of the health sector on climate change following the CB sessions 

Ios 2.1 At least 50% of students successfully submitted project proposals 

IoS 2.2 At least 20% of students reported that they implemented their project and updated the database with their results 

Ios 3.1 At least 10% of hospitals listed on the database registered for the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals program within 12 months of the student project being completed 

Methodology:

Capacity building program 

Session 1 – Introductory session on the intersection of climate change and health and health systems sustainability 

Session 2 – Health systems sustainability – what can we do and how can we do it? 

Advocacy program 

Session 3 – Upskilling session on advocacy and  project planning including goals, objectives, indicators for each local hospital project 

Session 4 – Project proposals review session 

Session 5 – Reflective session and feedback 

Resources

AMSA Greening Hospitals Guide 

Project proposal template 

Links to other resources e.g. signing hospitals up for the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals program 

Major event 

National Greening Hospitals Hackathon 

Database 

Online database of registered local projects including goals, objective, indicators and reflections 

Plans for evaluation:

The main methods used to evaluate the outcomes (using the indicators include):

1. Surveys – these will be done pre and post the CB sessions to fulfil indicators 1.1, 1.2 and 2.1 
2. Online database – the database will be used to identify which students and thus calculate the percentage that implemented their project for indicator 2.2. Indicator 3.1 will be evaluated using the hospitals/health centres listed on the database to then cross-reference with the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals database to confirm whether that organisation has registered. 

External collaborations:

none