Climate Action statement
People’s Health Trust believes in a world without health inequalities. We work to ensure that where you live does not unfairly reduce the length of your life, or the quality of your health.
The direct and indirect health effects of the climate crisis are not being felt equally across society. As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, communities that are already disadvantaged are among the most vulnerable to the effects of systemic shocks and extreme events. The climate crisis will continue to widen existing health inequalities within the UK in areas such as air pollution, the building of energy-efficient homes, promoting sustainable and healthy food, and prioritising active and safe transport. (Sustainable Health Equity: Achieving a Net-Zero UK, Institute of Health Equity).
In recognition of the threat and its negative impact on health inequalities our 2022/25 Strategy commits us to making a significant contribution to address the climate crisis in our role as a funder, an investor, an employer and an organisation with operating activities. In addition, People’s Health Trust is proud to be a signatory to the Funder Commitment on Climate Change. This additionally commits us to its five pillars, which are:
- Educate and learn: We will make opportunities for our trustees, staff and stakeholders to learn more about the key causes of and solutions to climate change.
- Commit resources: We will commit resources to accelerate work that addresses the causes and impacts of climate change. This might be through direct funding, or by contributing in other ways.
- Integrate: Within all our existing programmes, priorities and processes, we will seek opportunities to contribute to a fair and lasting transition to a post carbon society, and to support adaptation to climate change impacts.
- Steward our investments for a post-carbon future: We will recognise climate change as a high-level risk to our investments, and therefore to our mission. We will proactively address the risks and opportunities of a transition to a post carbon economy in our investment strategy and its implementation, recognising that our decisions can contribute to this transition being achieved.
- Decarbonise our operations: We will take ambitious action to minimise the carbon footprint of our own operations.
- Report on progress: We will report annually on our progress against the five goals listed above. We will continue to develop our practice, to learn from others, and to share our learning.
We will complete our first annual report in early 2024 and set out our progress in the five areas above against our agreed action plan. We will continue to identify opportunities to broaden our role and increase our impact in tackling the health effects of the climate crisis.
