Medical professionals in the Highlands will gather in Inverness to highlight the impact of the environmental crisis on healthcare.
A stall will be placed on the Highland capital’s High Street on Monday offering advice to those passing as to why the climate crisis should also be considered a health crisis.
Medics, including GPs, physicians, anaesthetists and others, will take shifts staffing the stall from Monday November 1 to Wednesday November 3.
The stall will be situated outside the TSB Bank building and will be manned from 10am to 2pm.
A second stint is planned between Thursday November 11 and Saturday November 13.
Climate clinic to take place at same time as COP26
Kristina High, of the Highland Healthcare for Climate Change group, said the stall is hoped to inform and raise awareness of the direct links between environmental and health issues.
The consultant anaesthetist said: “We have chosen this timing because of COP26.
“We have called it a Climate Clinic because we are aware that there are a lot of people out there who have got a degree of anxiety with what is happening around the world in terms of the environment.
“We are doing this to raise awareness on how the environmental crisis is a health crisis and how that is adversely affecting people’s health.
“A lot of people don’t really realise that.
“We are trying to use positive messaging on how people can improve their own lives, which will help the environment, but also help their own health and public health.”
Advice on steps individuals can make to reduce impact
Advice will be offered on small but simple steps people can make that can have a huge impact.
Information on how to reduce air pollution by using more active routes of travel will be offered, as well as encouraging people to buy local food.
Recommendations on places to interact with green open spaces whilst getting active will also be offered.
Recent research suggests that air pollution is having a direct impact on chronic breathing problems, heart problems, vascular problems and also sight loss.
‘We see the public health effect of the environmental crisis’
Dr High added: “Us, health professionals, are really seeing the public health effect of the environmental crisis and we are having to deal with it every day.
“We also work in a health service that produces a massive amount of waste and has an environmental impact.
“We are trying really hard on reducing the environmental footprint of the health service at the same time.
“Having that knowledge, we want to share that with people to understand that it is a shared responsibility to mitigate the effects of what humans are doing and the environment.”
Improve your health, whilst helping the planet
She concluded: “We are hoping that because we have got that professional background that maybe that will help people take note and think a bit more about what they are doing.
“It is about raising awareness and giving people ideas on what they can do as individuals to reduce their environmental footprint, and just to improve their health whilst helping the planet.
“We would encourage people to please come and interact with us.”