In Mansfield College in Oxford today and tomorrow health ministers from the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) are meeting, along with the health ministers from invited guest countries (India, South Korea, South Africa and Australia) to agree a health policy document ahead of next week's G7 meeting in Cornwall.

XR Oxford used their presence as an opportunity to draw attention to the health impact of the climate crisis. Volunteers under shrouds who had 'died' of climate-related causes were issued with death certificates and their names and causes of death were read out by a member of Doctors for XR.

The G7 delegates were very easy to spot from their suits - much smarter than anything we are used to seeing on our streets - so I tried going up to any who were passing to explain why we wanted them to include the climate crisis as a health issue in their discussions. Most behaved as if I were invisible (some even showed me the meaning of 'to put your nose in the air', a risible behaviour) but the Indian delegation stopped to talk with me, were interested in our perspective and asked for more information. 

Doctors for XR delivered a letter to the college who promised to pass it on to the health ministers.


Postscript: the G7 Health Communique issued on 4 June, mentions the climate seven times (see paragraph 9) but not with the weight or perspective it needs.