At this year’s international EURIPA 13^th Rural Health Forum in Lincoln, England, which takes place from the 20^th to the 22^nd of June, delegates will be asked to

‘take the Pledge for Planetary health’.

The objective is to increase the awareness of planetary health amongst rural primary healthcare practitioners (RHPC) and to appreciate that even small positive steps can advance planetary health. We want RHCPs to tap into opportunities in their own local and national primary care context. If done at scale all over Europe a significant contribution in the reduction of the carbon footprint of delivering healthcare can be achieved. Delegates will be asked to pledge they will implement one small change. They can choose between five Quality Improvement areas and will receive information on how to implement the small change step-by-step. Six months after the Forum they will be contacted to find out how their pledged change has been actioned.

This initiative fits with EURIPA’s and WONCA Europe’s vision and mission in relation to planetary health and supports World Family Doctor Day on 19th May 2024  focussing on 'Healthy Planet Healthy People'. 

During the Forum there will be other activities related to planetary health. On the 21^st of June the delegates will visit a coastal GP practice in Mablethorpe and plant an EURIPA tree at the Campus for Future living and on the last day they will enjoy a low environmental impact ‘planetary health’ lunch.