Dr. Ola Nordrum:

On 21 March last year, Irish Doctors for the Environment published an open letter addressed to the Irish media. We asked them to do both more and better climate storytelling. It is difficult, if not impossible, to grasp the scale and urgency of the health crisis we face as a result of climate collapse without coherent media messaging. Our letter came as a response to the IPCC climate change 2023 synthesis report. The report, published on 20 March 2023, was described as a final warning. It lasted only four hours on RTÉ's front page before having to yield to other news. There was little or no mention of the report before the release. On 21 March, everything was back to normal.

The combined climate and biodiversity crisis is an unprecedented health crisis. It is an everything crisis that is already affecting people’s health both in Ireland and around the world. Until we turn the tide on emissions, it will only get worse. A report by Doctors for the Environment Australia has found that fossil fuel pollution is already leading to more deaths globally than smoking, leading the organisation to call for a ban on all new fossil fuel projects, a ban on fossil fuel advertising and no more subsidies. The negative health effects of climate change and biodiversity breakdown are almost endless. They go far beyond respiratory disease such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. These changes exacerbate existing disease and give rise to new disease patterns and conditions. It affects every organ in the human body. There is a duty to make this an everyday topic and not a topic discussed once in a while.

Irish media regularly promote advertising for the most polluting industries without any health warnings that these very industries will bring about climate collapse. Fossil fuel advertising should go the same way as cigarette adverts, given the impact on human health. Oil and gas companies, car manufacturers, airlines and cruise lines should all be banned from promoting their products. The well-being of people and the planet should take priority over profits.

When The Irish Times reported recently on an ESRI report on how hospital admissions in Ireland will increase due to hot weather, mainly due to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, the image used for the article was of people sunbathing. The disconnect is unbelievable. Globally, several media outlets, including The Guardian, have signed a pledge in service of the planet acknowledging that, of all the crises facing the world, the most alarming is the climate emergency and promising to relentlessly report on the crisis every day. All Irish media outlets should do the same. The Hague recently became the first city in the world to pass a law banning fossil fuel-related ads. Ireland should become the first country to do the same. This would not only be a bold step for climate action, but also a significant move for public health.