The ESCAPE Working Group was established in early 2025 to raise awareness of climate change and its effects on emergency healthcare workers and emergency medicine professionals around the world.
RE-WaTCH ESCAPE's FIRST WEBINAR:
Driving SUSTAINABLE EMERGENCY CARE WITH SPEED AND SCALE
Re-watch the webinar with the link below:
https://vimeo.com/1116115072/fcf3b3a80c?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
Vision
Driving action to address the climate crisis and protect the future of emergency care worldwide.
Mission
ESCAPE is all about the intersection between emergency care and the climate crisis.
The climate emergency is both an existential threat and a growing healthcare crisis. Rising global temperatures are already impacting the health of our patients, with increases in climate-related illnesses, injuries, and displacement. At the same time, healthcare systems themselves contribute significantly to the problem—accounting for an estimated 4–7% of the carbon footprint in European countries.
Emergency care plays a central role in the health system, spanning prehospital care, emergency department management, and in-hospital acute care. Emergency Departments (EDs) are often the first point of contact for climate-affected patients and typically see the highest patient volumes while consuming substantial resources. This positions emergency healthcare professionals as key agents in both responding to the health impacts of climate change and leading efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of care delivery.
In line with EUSEM’s vision to improve emergency care in the face of global challenges, the ESCAPE Working Group is dedicated to climate action in emergency medicine.
ESCAPE supports a range of initiatives to address the healthcare impact of the climate crisis and reduce the carbon footprint of emergency departments and hospitals.
To achieve this, ESCAPE aims to:
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Build a European group of emergency healthcare professionals committed to climate acworking tion.
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Share knowledge and best practices on delivering emergency care in the context of a climate emergency.
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Promote and support research into climate-related diseases and health system resilience.
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Develop an accessible platform for information, tools, and resources on climate and emergency medicine.
ESCAPE Working group Executive Committee
Chair: Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Dodt — Head of Department at München Klinik and President-elect of EUSEM
Co-Vice Chair: Dr. Harry Achterberg — Emergency Department Physician and Anaesthesiologist; Head of the Emergency Department at Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Co-Vice Chair: Dr. Matteo Paganini — Emergency Medicine Physician and Scientist from Northern Italy; PhD in Global Health, Humanitarian Aid, and Disaster Medicine; currently focusing on the impact of climate change on emergency care and research on carbon monoxide poisoning
Secretary: Dr. Maartje Melse — Emergency Physician at Isala Klinieken, The Netherlands
Stratergy and Operations Lead: Dr. Mark Henderson — Emergency Physician at Northern Health, Melbourne Australia
