Flying to Singapore to take part in a meeting of the Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare is not without tragic irony. A defence that more can be achieved from 3 days of face-to-face encounters than a few hours of stilted Zoom calls might be weakly self-exculpatory. Proof will come with the final product, which, judging by the leadership of Co-Chairs Jodi Sherman and Andrea MacNeill, is likely to be highly compelling.
A second reason for visiting this tropical science superpower was the launch of a new Centre for Sustainable Medicine within the National University of Singapore. Led by Nick Watts, the UK NHS’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, this Centre will work closely with the Ministry of Health to make Singapore a global exemplar of a low-carbon health system. The launch sought to underline the moral responsibility of health professionals in accelerating the transition to net zero. While one can enthusiastically support that proposition, it is important to be clear about the nature of the predicament before us. At present, the climate and health community risks making several grave errors that need to be corrected urgently.