Happy (almost) Earth Day!A great time to re-evaluate our relationship with our planet & the ways we as a society are acting to harm it. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start & how to get involved- we are always looking for more active members in our...

Long time no see- yes that is entirely the fault of your errant newsletter editor- Happy Saturday & Happy Belated St Patrick’s Day! A lot has happened since our last newsletter, both in IDE’s work, environmentalism, and the wider world so read on below for a quick catch up!

What is COP 26? The UN’s 26th “Conference of Parties” is taking place in Glasgow, and IDE members are there! Stay tuned to our social media to see how they get on. A summit of international leaders, negotiators, business leaders and of course citizens, with a focus on actions required...

This month had the launch of The Climate Alarm Clock, a weekly action & solution focused climate podcast with IDE contributing in its latest episode. Catch it on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. A sliver of the excitement to come in season 2 of Climate Conversations with IDE-...

Join us! Cycle Royal Canal Greenway to Mullingar On 7th August, IDE members will be taking to our saddles and demonstrating the benefits of active transport by cycling 90km from the Convention Centre to Mullingar, along the Royal Canal Greenway. Funds raised will be going towards administrative and running costs...

Recent IDE Updates: – Launch of Global Planetary Health course for Primary Care (available HERE) – IDE will be submitting proposals & suggestions for Climate Action Plan 2021– IDE Medical Students submission to Irish Medical Council report on Planetary Health in the Medical Curriculum – Earth Day Letter was handed & read to the Dail...

We are delighted to launch “Conversations with IDE”, a new podcast which aims to interconnect and link doctors with other environmental stakeholders across different disciplines. For this episode, Dr Callum Swift & Dr Margaret Brennan sit down to interview Isabella Tree, who is a UK conservationist and author of the...

The Lancet Countdown first CPD-accredited event For those of you who have been following IDE for some time, you may have noticed we refer to the Lancet Countdown a lot. Lancet Countdown is the premier research initiative tracking global progress on climate change and health. This is its first accredited educational offering,...

The 2020 Report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change presents the latest data on 41 indicators across five domains: climate change impacts, exposures and vulnerabilities; adaptation planning and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement.  On December 11, 2020 we...

After a successful Zoom Meeting AGM held at the beginning of the month, we are delighted with the response and the commitment of old and new members for the upcoming Committee and Working Groups. As an organisation (which is still finding its feet amongst the busy lives of doctors, nurses...

A few of Irish Doctors for Environment members last Saturday tried and tested out the new cycleway out to Dun Laoighre with local guide and cycle advocate Sean Barry.  IDE have been participating with linking many of the NGOs on improving the safety of cycling in Dublin and across towns and cities...

The Irish Public have been outstanding during this challenging time, and as healthcare professionals, we would like to thank everyone for the kindness, goodwill and community spirit displayed. We have seen how valuable and important human lungs are, which in turn rely on nature’s lungs – clean air, fresh water and...

IDE are on hold at present as we wish to maintain and uphold our standards as medical professionals.  As of March 15 2020 we advise following the HSE guidelines around COVID-19https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html As medical professionals working across different sectors in different capacities, we ask that you are patient with the HSE during this difficult...

This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean.Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you! To have a 67% chance of staying below a 1.5 degree global temperature rise—the best odds...

Not only do heatwaves cause significant distress amongst the more vulnerable populations including young children and the elderly (1), they are also very dangerous for the general population health. They impose a serious risk in an increased strain on our (struggling) emergency departments and GP services.  The impact of rising temperatures on health...

“Plastic Free” may sound intimidating yet similar to any beneficial health change, if it is taken in small steps – it will have a significant impact. And while we wait for corporations, society and governments to change, we believe at IDE “If you are not part of the solution, you are part...

Not only does transport emission contain pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxides, carbon monoxide, benzene and toxic metals, but these chemicals are proven to cause and worsen – cardiovascular disease  respiratory disease  well known carcinogens  neurodevelopment of new-borns and children Recent evidence also suggests an association between air pollution and...

The release of the UN Biodiversity Report this week* examines the change in the seas as one of the five main drivers of “unprecedented” biodiversity and ecosystem change over the past 50 years. This biodiversity loss is predicts the loss of over one million species. Within this report, “marine plastic...

With the release of David Attenborough’s most recent show (at the age of 93 years old!), and the recent climate change #fridaysforfreedom strikes it is a very apt month to focus on damage to biodiversity and the links to human health.  As the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate...

Fast fashion and overconsumption puts the fashion industry as the second most polluting industry in the world, which contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined, consumes lake-sized volumes of fresh water and creates chemical and plastic pollution (source).