Sustainability, the role of doctors and London Climate Action Week

At this year’s London Climate Action Week, we had the privilege of participating in events focusing on the intersection of climate change and health. The discussion was both terrifying and inspiring. People often talk about the need for connectivity in life sciences and health, but this time it really is critical – to ensure that health technologies and policies truly serve society in a climate-impacted future. It served as a clear call for medical professionals to get involved with sustainability.

Greater connectivity is essential. It is a foundational requirement for health systems to function effectively in a changing climate. As pharmaceutical doctors we see this need reflected in every stage of our work, from research to real-world application.

Health is being reshaped by climate realities and this impacts the patients that we serve and the clinical colleagues we work with. This was highlighted in a recent Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM) survey as one of the trends for the specialty of pharmaceutical medicine. Therefore we must look at core aspects of our practice, such as unmet need and benefit-risk through a climate lens.

1. Reframing Unmet Need

Rather than defining unmet need in traditional terms, we must ask how can we collaborate to improve demand signalling at a population level for a climate-impacted future? This might mean anticipating new disease patterns or adapting to care being delivered in non-traditional settings. It will include building in health equity from the beginning.

2. Designing Sustainable Clinical Trials

Clinical development must become more sustainable. For instance, a recent AstraZeneca study ^[1] revealed the carbon impact of low-temperature sample storage — something we were never taught to consider as physicians. How do we balance robust science with carbon literacy?

3. System-Level Thinking in Medical Affairs

When translating innovations to clinical use, we must think beyond the product in isolation in the here and now. For example, how do we measure the value of medicines that reduce future environmental costs by preventing hospital admissions?

4. Leveraging Digital and AI for Prevention

Digital technologies and AI offer powerful tools to both keep people well and reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare. However, they also have an environmental impact and can have a negative impact on patients if developed and used without appropriate thought. We must ask how can we use these tools not just for efficiency, but for sustainability?

5. Ethics First, Not Just Regulation

Finally, we must put ethics at the forefront. This means empowering individuals and holding organisations accountable—not just complying with regulations, but leading with integrity.

We cannot afford to treat sustainability as someone else’s responsibility. It is ours – because the health of our planet and the health of our patients are inseparable.
As doctors serving our patients, it would be unthinkable not to integrate an awareness of the dangers of smoking into our practice. We think the same applies to the climate crisis. It’s up to us to step into this unknown, difficult and scary area – to help shape the future for us and our patients.

^[1] Mackillop N, Shah J, Collins M, et al Carbon footprint of industry-sponsored late-stage clinical trials. BMJ Open 2023;13:e072491