Fossil fuels - the new tobacco?

This morning the Guardian newspaper published an open letter from medical students worldwide calling on the health sector, in particular the Wellcome Trust and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to divest from the fossil fuel industry. It's no surprise that we're signatories; but we're small fry compared to the others - the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA), the Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA), the Canadian Federation of Medical Students Global Health Programme, Medsin, and Doctors for the Environment Australia, to name a few.

You can read the full text of the letter (with references) on our website, and further Guardian coverage here. The letter comes on the back of the publication of our Unhealthy Investments report outlining the medical, moral, and financial case for divestment, and the Guardian's own 'Keep it in the Ground' campaign, launched last month. The Guardian petition inviting Wellcome and the Gates Foundation to divest has already attracted well over 180,000 signatures, and has provoked major debate within health circles and beyond, including two articles by Wellcome director Jeremy Farrar outlining the Trust's position (you can find our response here).