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BASHH BHIVA Climate Emergency Declaration

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BASHH BHIVA Climate Emergency Declaration 


The World Health Organisation describes climate change as a fundamental threat to human health1. For health professionals working in sexual health and HIV services, it represents a growing and immediate threat to public health, health systems and health equity. 

Recognising the harmful impacts of climate change on human health, wellbeing and healthcare provision, BHIVA & BASHH recognises the global climate-related health crisis. We declare a joint commitment to preserving planetary health, building climate-resilient sexual health and HIV services and supporting implementation of environmentally sustainable healthcare through research, training and education.


Climate change can affect sexual health and HIV outcomes through multiple pathways:
Damage to healthcare infrastructure, services and supply chains impacts access to sexual health and HIV testing, treatment and prevention.
  • For example, travel disruption from an extreme weather event may prevent an individual accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis, anti-retroviral medication or contraception. It can also impact continuity of and retention in care.
     
Climate change disproportionately affects populations already experiencing health inequalities.

  • Vulnerable and underserved populations are often most affected by climate change impacts2 which could amplify existing health inequalities in sexual health and HIV outcomes.

Resultant changes in sexual behaviours and psychological stress
  • Social and economic instability linked to climate change increases behaviours such as transactional and condomless sex, disrupts access to prevention tools and drives gender-based violence3, increasing vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. 
Negative impacts on health workforce and systems
  • Climate-related health burdens increase demand on already strained sexual health and HIV services impacting workforce and provision of care. 
  • Without action, climate change will continue to worsen health impacts. We recognise healthcare itself contributes to climate change through energy use, supply chains, and waste. This creates a responsibility for us to :
  1. Ensure climate resilient sexual health and HIV services 
  2. Reduce our environmental impact while continuing to deliver safe, effective care
  3. Address inequalities that heighten vulnerability to both climate and health risks
  4. Support staff and communities with clear, evidence-based information and practical solutions.
 
To date, BHIVA & BASHH have:

  • Endorsed a new special interest group in Sustainable Healthcare to drive sustainable transformation of the specialty such as the creation of the ‘10 steps to a greener sexual health and HIV clinic’,

  • Surveyed the workforce on knowledge and attitudes to sustainability to guide a speciality specific sustainability strategy

  • Raised awareness through inclusion in conference agenda and regular newsletter feature

  • Made changes to conferences including ensuring public transport options,  sustainable conference venues; increased plant-based food; reducing international travel and offering virtual sessions to international speaker; embedding sustainability in content through an abstract submission theme. 

  • Reduced face to face meetings across business and education events, prioritising those where face to face brings meaningful benefit and investing in digital event infrastructure. 

  • Initiated the process of fully reviewing investments to remove exposure to fossil fuels

  • Joined the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC) an alliance of UK-based health organisations committed to mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

We will continue to work on the UKHACC organisational commitments including partaking in their climate and health scorecard to continuously audit our activities in this area.

 

References

  1. World Health Organisation. Climate change [Internet]. 2023 [cited 14th May 2026]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
  2. Paavola, J. Health impacts of climate change and health and social inequalities in the UK. EnvironHealth. 2017, 16 (Suppl 1);113.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0328-z
  3. Logie, C. H., Toccalino, D., MacKenzie, F., Hasham, A., Narasimhan, M., Donkers, H.,Lorimer, N. and Malama, K. Associations between climate change-related factors and sexual health: A scoping review. Global Public Health. 2024, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2299718