Climate Action at Public Health Schools in the European Region

Rana Orhan, John Middleton, Thomas Krafft and Katarzyna Czabanowska
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Rana Orhan: Department of International Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Duboisdomain 30, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands
John Middleton: Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), Avenue de Tervueren 153, 1150 Brussels, Belgium
Thomas Krafft: Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
Katarzyna Czabanowska: Department of International Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Duboisdomain 30, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Climate change is putting the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals at risk and leads to negative impacts on human health and well-being. Consequently, tremendous social responsibility lies with public health professionals and their associations. Therefore, this study addressed the following question: “How can the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) best support the goals of the European Green Deal through its network of public health schools and departments?” This study looked at the implementation of climate education in public health schools in the European region and climate action taken by these public health schools. An online survey among ASPHER members with a 51% overall response rate (excluding non-European members) shows that 64% of the responding schools provide climate-health educational offerings, while 63% consider these for the future. Additionally, most climate actions taken by the schools were ad hoc actions. These findings show that a systematic approach is missing, and there is a general lack of strategy in most schools. We consequently recommend that schools invest in climate and health education in their curricula and become exemplars for climate action to actively contribute to the achievement of Europe’s climate goals.

Keywords: climate change; climate action; public health education; university social responsibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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