RUMS Review Vol. VIII Issue I - January 2023

Sustainability
CLIMATE
EDUCATION
AT RUMS
BY EMIL LECOINTE
With 7 million premature deaths being
attributed to air pollution, according to
the World Health Organisation (WHO),
it’s clear to see that climate change is
having an increasing influence on our
health outcomes. In the wake of the
effects of climate change, we are
beginning to see how climate change
will interact with healthcare
throughout the world. Unicef predicts
25 million to 1 billion environmental
migrants by 2050, or in 28 years.
Therefore, it’s increasingly relevant
that the next generation of doctors are
aware of the growing influence of
climate on health outcomes.
Fortunately, a new initiative, birthed
from the Royal Free, aims to promote
climate consciousness in UCL
students through a greater focus on
climate education implemented into
our curriculum and greater
engagement from the student
population.
The architect of this bold new plan is
Dr. Adesh Sundaresan. An advocate
for the environment since
adolescence, Dr. Sundaresan was first
galvanised to take an active role in
climate advocacy after witnessing the
first-hand effects of climate change
while in Chennai, India, performing
music. Since then, he has pursued this
calling by establishing the
"Sustainability and Climate Change
in Healthcare" SSC, offered to firstyear
students, and hosting the
"Climate Clinic" in collaboration with
the Global Consortium on Climate and
Health Education.
One of the two prongs of this
upscaling project is the instruction of
lecturers on the aspects of climate
change relevant to their teaching. This
will give them the tools to modify their
lecture materials to include climate
change; thus seamlessly integrating
climate education into our curriculum.
The second is the participation of a
select group of passionate students to
encourage the climate agenda in our
RUMS community. These Student
Sustainability Representatives will
achieve this goal by regularly
collaborating with faculty and
students to improve engagement and
awareness of climate change in
healthcare. What's more, being a
student-led body, they will be sure to
focus on the topics and issues
affecting you. Seeing that these
Student Sustainability Representatives
are elected on a rolling basis, you can
apply at any time.
Composed in the hope of improving
the care we provide for those affected
by climate change, we are sure that
this comprehensive initiative will go on
to become a staple of teaching at our
medical school for years to come.
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