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Australian doctors need to catch up with population policy

Robin I W Collin
Med J Aust 2009; 191 (3): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02745.x
Published online: 3 August 2009

To the Editor: The relationship between population, climate warming and environmental impact has been little discussed in the Australian medical media and often ignored in the wider Australian media. All doctors should have a good working knowledge of the science of climate change and its correlation with increased human activity. Six billion humans (circa 2000 ad) have a greater environmental impact than one billion humans (circa 1800 ad), and this increase correlates with deterioration in nature’s “free goods”, such as clean air and water.


  • Perth, WA.


Correspondence: collinriw@hotmail.com

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  • 5. Senate Official Hansard. No. 9, 2008. Tuesday 16 September, 2008. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2008: 4817-4818, 4832-4833. http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/dailys/ds160908.pdf (accessed May 2009).
  • 6. Walters BNJ. Personal carbon trading: a potential “stealth intervention” for obesity reduction [letter]? Med J Aust 2007; 187: 668. <MJA full text>

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