Jan. 12, 2021

Dear medical community, it’s time to engage in the climate movement

"I plan to reach out to climate organizations and see what I can do to get involved. Whether that means writing more op-eds like this one or writing to legislators, I now recognize that as part of the medical field, especially in regard to mental...

"I plan to reach out to climate organizations and see what I can do to get involved. Whether that means writing more op-eds like this one or writing to legislators, I now recognize that as part of the medical field, especially in regard to mental health, I have a role to play. I invite all of you in the medical field to join me in this effort.

You can hear the rumblings in certain pockets that, just like with gun control, medicine should stay in its lane and not be involved in issues like climate advocacy. That’s simply not a tenable stance. With a warming planet and without action, the human population will simply get sicker. That stands in direct conflict with our oath to “Do no harm.”

So again, get involved with the climate movement in the best way you know how. Our patients’ and future patients’ lives are on the line."

Derek Wolfe is a medical student.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Dear medical community, it’s time to engage in the climate movement." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/dear-medical-community-its-time-to-engage-in-the-climate-movement.html)