In accordance with decision 9/2 of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (INC/FCCC) and endorsed by the Conference of the Parties in its decision 3/CP.1 (FCCC/CP/1995/7/Add.1), the secretariat is to make available, in the official languages of the United Nations, the executive summaries of the national communications submitted by Annex I Parties.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Climate change is here: What will the profession of pharmacy do about it?

Pharmaceutical companies' capital, influence, and labor force well equip them to assume responsibility for public medication disposal programs. Government- and industry-funded campaigns for medication disposal do work, but responsibility often falls on local health care organizations to provide education and services. Lack of public awareness about how to dispose of medications and the ramifications of contaminating our natural resources and ecosystems with pharmaceuticals suggest a need for collaboration among pharmaceutical companies, government officials, clinicians, and patients.

How Should Responsibility for Proper Medication Disposal Be Shared?

In November 2022, a climate change performance index report released at the COP27 United Nations conference in Egypt, ranked Australia 55th on a list of 63 countries and country groupings in addressing the climate crisis. Australia is a leading development partner in the Pacific region; a region economically, environmentally, socially, and culturally impacted by climate change and global warming in the form of (e.g.,) rapid sea level rises, alarming shifts in marine ecosystems, and extreme weather events. How did Australia, a high-income country situated in the Pacific, become a nation that trails other developed countries in addressing climate change? Why has there been a lack of urgency for uptake of sustainable development policy and planning? A new Federal Government, elected in May 2022, has indicated willingness to meaningfully progress Australia’s interconnected climate change, wellbeing, and sustainability policy agendas, in which futures public health policy is inextricably linked. This change in government provides an important moment to review Australia’s sustainable-development climate change policy landscape over a 35-year period. By examining this landscape through a health lens, this paper can provide one of many critical perspectives tracing Australia’s slippage to the bottom of the global climate rankings today.

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Looking Back—Australia’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Policy Agendas

Objectives This study’s primary objective was to assess pharmacists’ knowledge and beliefs regarding climate change and health. Secondary objectives included assessing perceptions of its relevance to pharmacists and pharmacy practice as well as potential roles in mitigating climate change. Methods An 18-question, anonymous survey was developed using questions adapted from previously published surveys that evaluated the general public’s views of international issues and health professionals’ perceptions of climate change and health, with additions specific to the Midwestern United States and Ohio. It was sent electronically to a random sample of 500 registered pharmacists living and working in Ohio. Data were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics. Results Seventy pharmacists participated in the study. The majority of respondents (78.3%) believed climate change is happening. More respondents recognized climate change to be a great or moderate threat to human health worldwide (72.7%) than to patients in their community (45.4%; P < .001). A little more than half (54.5%) thought climate change was relevant to pharmacy practice. Perceived barriers that reduced willingness to communicate with the public about this topic included lack of time (73.4%) or knowledge (49.2%) and feeling that it would not make a difference (46.1%) or it is too controversial (35.4%). Respondents believed pharmacists could have the greatest impact through increasing sustainability in the health care system (48.5%). Conclusion Most respondents recognized that climate change is happening, is a threat to human health worldwide, and is relevant to pharmacy. However, many did not recognize its potential impact on their own patients or their role in climate action, showing a need for more education on this topic. As these are the first data collected among pharmacists in the United States, additional studies should be performed in other parts of the country as opinions may vary based on personal experience with or exposure to impacts of climate change. 

Pharmacists' Perception of Climate Change and Its Impact on Health.

Climate change and ecosystem degradation threaten human health and exacerbate pre‐existing social determinants of health. The prescription drug sector accounts for a significant portion of health care system contributions to greenhouse gas and waste production. Pharmacists are therefore well‐positioned to transform health care toward environmentally sustainable models; however, additional pharmacist education on climate mitigation and sustainable practice is needed. A team of practicing pharmacists and pharmacy students from the United States and Australia aimed to define pharmacists' roles in environmental stewardship by evaluating pre‐existing pharmacy‐led efforts in reducing waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and other health care‐associated environmental impacts. We also describe opportunities for education in pharmacist training as a means to enhance the profession's capacity for environmentally sustainable health care practice and leadership. Information on specific drugs' ecological footprints is increasingly available; pharmacists, as drug information experts, can incorporate sustainability considerations into their drug procurement and prescribing recommendations. Pharmacists also play a critical role in public education about environmentally responsible drug disposal. Finally, we suggest collaborative steps that U.S. organizations involved in pharmacy education could take to ensure that future “practice readiness” includes competence in sustainable health care practices.

Amir Saba

Papers

Climate care is health care: A call for collaborative pharmacy action