Climate change and human health: what can GPs do?

In recent months articles in the most respected peer reviewed medical journals in Australia, the USA and Britain have called for urgent action to reduce climate change.1–4 The chief scientist of the United Kingdom has described climate change as ‘the most severe problem that we are facing today – more serious even than the threat of terrorism’.5 Yet, many of you will wonder if this is really such an urgent issue, and – even if it is – what on earth has it got to do with general practice?