Climate change and its impact on medicine was discussed as part of a refresher course for general practitioners (GPs) which took place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 21–23 September 2022. The event focused on how climate change needs to become part of the culture and training of GPs due to its now well established consequences for human health.
The Ticino Canton, which hosted the session, is a member of the WHO Regions for Health Network. The event included a presentation of the updated WHO guidelines on air quality. Participants discussed the factors that led WHO to update these guidelines, including new evidence on health effects, better knowledge of physiological mechanisms and confirmation of health effects even with exposure to very low levels of air pollution.
Dr Samantha Pegoraro from WHO headquarters in Geneva emphasized the importance of bridging the current gap in medicine courses with regard to the impact of climate change and air pollution on health. According to Dr Pegoraro, GPs should have more skills to raise awareness among their patients and help contribute to the prevention of diseases associated with environmental hazards.
The session ended with a roundtable attended by Mr Claudio Zali, President of the Ticino Council of State, and National Councillor Mr Bruno Storni. All participants underlined how climate change, air pollution and health are interconnected, and pointed to the importance of promoting this vision at the local and regional political level as well as throughout civil society.