Senior doctors from around the globe have formed the International Climate and Health Council, an international organization and part of a registered charity, Knowledge into Action. The aim of the Council, which is sponsored by the British Medical Journal, is to mobilize health professionals across the world to take action to limit climate change. Any health professional and any health or health care organization can become a member. 

The Council is working toward the goal of achieving a substantial and rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect human health and improve social justice around the world. 

By joining the Coun­cil, health professionals worldwide will add their support to achieving a globally binding commitment to reduce carbon emissions within 10 years to a safe limit proposed by the scientific community, implementing a mechanism to ensure that resources are transferred to countries where both living standards and fossil fuel use have been low, and encouraging people everywhere to make low-carbon choices, promoting sustainable development.

The goals developed by the council are based on the belief that climate change is an avoidable threat to health, that low-carbon societies are the next great health advance, that health improvement depends on equity and social justice, and that health needs sustainable development, not old-style carbon-emitting global economic growth. 

To get involved, contact the International Climate and Health Council at climateandhealthcouncil@bmj.com [8], or sign the Climate and Health Council pledge for urgent government-led international action to protect health by limiting climate change: www.climateandhealth.org/pledge [9].