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Care for Climate (‘Zorg voor Klimaat’ in Dutch) is a working party (WP) of the Dutch Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health (NVTG). It was founded in July 2020 as a follow-up to the ‘call for action’ formulated at the 2019 NVTG Climate Emergency symposium. Over the past 18 months, the number of health professionals involved has grown to 42.

In its short existence, Care for Climate has already accomplished substan-tial results. The working party played a key role in organising the 2021 NVTG Climate Changemakers in Health sym-posium. Also, the WP hosted a series of five webinars – each with its own per-spective on the theme of climate and health – aiming to increase awareness, exchange knowledge, and inspire health-care providers to take action at their place of work. In July this year, the WP launched two platforms – the Knowledge Platform and the Networking Platform – on its website (www.zorgvoorklimaat.nl). Climate changemakers in health are invited to register their initiatives that make the health sector more sustainable or decrease its carbon footprint. The goal is to connect, inspire and exchange ideas. In October, the Networking Platform was nominated by the Green Deal for an award for best sustainable healthcare initiative.

Tapping into knowledge from colleagues worldwide is part of Care for Climate’s approach to making the Dutch health sector more sustainable. Facilitating the exchange of global health knowledge in the Netherlands is also key to the work of Kennis Connectors Global Health (Kennis = Knowledge)(KCGH). That is why Care for Climate has teamed up with KCGH, which is supporting the webinar series and the Networking Platform.

Besides networking, linking partners, and consultancy in the Netherlands, Care for Climate works with KLIK green (www.klik-krankenhaus.de), a collaboration between 245 German hospitals implement-ing sustainability initiatives. Inspiring ideas from these German hospitals are expected to be of interest to partners in the Care for Climate Networking Platform, and are considered beneficial for the Dutch health sector. To share just one idea from Germany: one organisation’s energy-efficient heating system uses the water which cools its computer servers to heat up the baths at its rehabilitation clinic.

More information is available on the web-site www.zorgvoorklimaat.nl (in Dutch) and social media:
@zorgvoorklimaat
@kennisconnectorsglobalhealth

Kcgh: facilitating gh knowledge transfer to the netherlands
KCGH enables the exchange of GH knowledge in the Netherlands. As facilitators, we do not fund research or training abroad. Instead, we connect GH experts to each other and to Dutch knowledge users. KCGH also supports the process of applying the knowledge to the Dutch health system. As an additional benefit, we stimulate a more global perspective on health. KCGH was set up by the Netherlands Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health (NVTG) and the Training Institute for International Health and Tropical Medicine (OIGT). It is subsidised by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).