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In an unprecedented move, medical journals from around the world have calling for urgent action on climate change.

Written by 17 medical journal editors, along with two additional co-authors, the op-ed was published Sunday in more than 220 public health and medical journals, , which coordinated the publication.

Authors include Eric Rubin, MD, PhD, of the New England Journal of Medicine; Richard Horton, MD, of The Lancet; and Fiona Godlee, MD, of The BMJ.

"The environment and health are inextricably intertwined. The changing climate is endangering us in many ways, including its critical impacts on health and healthcare delivery," Rubin said in a statement. "As medical and public health practitioners, we have an obligation not only to anticipate new healthcare needs but also to be active participants in limiting the causes of the climate crisis."

The op-ed comes ahead of the U.N. General Assembly meeting, beginning on September 14, and the subsequent COP26 (Conference of Parties) meeting in Glasgow, Scotland in November, which will focus on a global climate treaty.

Last month, the U.N. and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report warning of the impending climate emergency, stating that there is no way to undo previous damage and prevent extreme weather from getting worse over the next 30 years. At the time, the healthcare community called on the federal government to implement policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The new editorial calls for "urgent action to keep average global temperature increases below 1.5ºC, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health."

The writers note that health is already being harmed by global temperature increases. For instance, in the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people over age 65 has risen by more than 50% as higher temperatures have brought increased dehydration and renal function loss, as well as dermatological malignancies, tropical infections, adverse mental health outcomes, pregnancy complications, allergies, and cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality.

Harms have disproportionately affected "the most vulnerable, including children, older populations, ethnic minorities, poorer communities, and those with underlying health problems," the op-ed states.

Climate change has also hampered efforts to fight malnutrition and related issues by chipping away at water and food security. It has also increased the chance of pandemics, the editorialists wrote.

They say the science is "unequivocal: a global increase of 1.5ºC above the pre-industrial average and the continued loss of biodiversity risk catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse."

The world can't wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to end to take action, the authors state, and wealthy nations need to do more to help.

"Countries that have disproportionately created the environmental crisis must do more to support low- and middle-income countries to build cleaner, healthier, and more resilient societies," the authors wrote. Wealthier nations need to go beyond their promise of providing $100 billion a year in aid, making up for any shortfall from 2020 and boosting contributions beyond 2025, the editorial added.

Healthcare professionals should also do what they can to contribute to the prevention of further damage, hold global leaders accountable, and educate others about the health risks of the climate crisis, the op-ed stated. Healthcare professionals should also contribute to efforts to achieve environmentally sustainable health systems before 2040, "recognizing that this will mean changing clinical practice."

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