Media Contact
Joey Johnson, National President
American Medical Student Association
Email: pr@amsa.org
AMSA believes that global warming is one of the major threats to public health and health equity in our time, and that all sectors of society, especially the health professional community, must be engaged in solutions to the climate crisis.
STERLING, Virginia – June 3, 2017: The American Medical Student Association denounces President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Agreement, based on the body of medical literature showing that global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are a significant detriment to overall public health and worsen health inequity, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Evidence supports that climate change is associated with increased prevalence of respiratory illness, vector borne diseases, and heat stress, as well as jeopardizes fundamental pillars of public health and human survival such as access to food and clean water.
AMSA believes stabilization of climate change in time to minimize harm to the global community will require a reduction of global warming emissions to at least 80 percent below current levels by the year 2050 and may require movement toward zero emissions.
AMSA supports international agreements like the Paris Climate Change Agreement on climate stabilization that promote economic justice, encourage sustainable development and the growth of the global renewable energy infrastructure, especially in developing countries, and that require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions commensurate with available resources, current share of emissions, and historic responsibility for emissions.
Additionally, we believe that climate stabilization should not come at the expense of economic development in poor countries that are not responsible for this crisis. Instead, corporations, developed countries and the wealthy of all countries should bear the primary financial responsibility for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. As one of the largest contributors in the world to these emissions, the United States is expected to be a leader in this commitment.
About AMSA:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at http://www.amsa.org.
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