The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Pharmacy Declares have today published a Climate Change Charter and are inviting pharmacy teams from around the world to sign up and commit to action on climate change.
Climate change impacts human health and well-being in multiple ways, hampering access to clear air, safe drinking water, food and shelter. Governments, organisations and individuals all have a collective responsibility to tackle this growing threat.
The Charter asks any member of the pharmacy team to commit to:
- Understand how human health and the systems which underpin it are reliant on the state of our natural environment
- Actively explore ways to make pharmacy practice and medicine use more sustainable
- Collaborate and share best practice to improve sustainability in pharmacy and healthcare
- Demonstrate leadership on sustainability or being a champion for sustainability at work
- Assist patients to optimise their medicine use to increase both health outcomes and environmental sustainability.
It also asks individuals to commit to a personal action on climate change of their own choosing.
The Charter is being supported by a strong coalition of organisations from across pharmacy including the Centre for Postgraduate Pharmacy Education, the Clinical Pharmacy Association, College of Mental Health Pharmacy and Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists.
Laura Wilson, Policy Lead for Sustainability at RPS said:
“I am proud that RPS has taken the lead on climate change by launching this Climate Change Charter, in association with Pharmacy Declares and other expert, national pharmacy organisations. It’s hugely positive to see so many organisations from across the pharmacy community already supporting the Charter.
“Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have an important role to play in tackling climate change, having unique expertise in medicines and their use. We hope the Charter will encourage pharmacy teams across the country to start really important conversations about how to address this issue.”
Tracy Lyons of Pharmacy Declares said:
“We are absolutely delighted to support this pharmacy professional Climate Change Charter. We know that the very best pharmaceutical care is intricately tied to 'planetary health' and how much we as a profession can contribute towards optimising this. I'm hugely excited about the opportunity to showcase the climate-health leadership being shown by teams up and down the country'.
Sign the Climate Change Charter
Find out more about RPS activity on sustainability
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