Royal Pharmaceutical Society president Claire Anderson is one of the signatories to a letter sent today by the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change to the president of the UN’s climate summit, Alok Sharma, warning him that environmental changes will have “catastrophic” implications for people’s health if action is not taken.

In the letter, signed by numerous professional health bodies and timed to coincide with the start of COP27 in Egypt, the Alliance called on Sharma, whose leadership on climate change they praised, to continue putting the pressure on the “major emitters” of emissions to reduce their output.

They also reminded him about a Lancet policy briefing published this year that warned governments and companies “continue to prioritise fossil fuels to the detriment of people’s health.” The briefing called on the UK government to end all subsidies, investments, new licences and consent for fossil fuels and ensure a “just transition to renewable energy.”

It also urged Number 10 to adopt a legally-binding commitment to reducing fine particulate air pollution to 10 μg/m3 by 2030 then 5 μg/m3 after that as set out by the World Health Organisation, and to create access for everyone to green spaces such as parks.

“The impact of climate change on health is becoming more and more stark, especially in the global south,” Ms Anderson (pictured) said.

“The letter published today demonstrates there is consensus from healthcare leaders across the UK that health should be a priority at COP27 and that urgent action is needed to bring down emissions. We hope that our calls are listened to and put into action by our political leaders at the COP27 negotiations.”

The Alliance also urged Sharma to put health “at the forefront of discussions, recognising the catastrophic health harms linked to inaction, and the significant health co-benefits that flow from positive progress.”

In September, the RPS claimed it had divested all financial investments in fossil fuels four months ahead of schedule.