Doctors for the Environment Australia

09/02/2026

Research shows that traffic-related emissions significantly increase childhood asthma rates in Australia, especially near schools and childcare centres.

'Idle Off' is a simple, proven way communities are tackling this issue. By encouraging drivers to switch off their engines while waiting, parents and educators are already improving air quality and protecting children’s health - together.

Learn more about the Idle Off movement by attending the official online launch event tomorrow, Tuesday 10th Feb, 8pm AEDT.

Hear from doctors, parent champions, and schools who are already making this work in their communities. You’ll leave knowing exactly how to bring Idle Off to your own school or childcare and how to be part of a growing parent movement for clean air.

Register here 👇

Most parents assume school and childcare gates are safe places for kids. Few realise they are often some of the most polluted with car exhaust sitting right at children’s breathing height while their lungs are still developing. The pollution is invisible, but the health impacts are real.

06/02/2026

Our oceans are dying. Our land is burning. And without urgent climate action, it will only get worse.

How much more devastation will it take before our leaders put human and environmental health before climate polluters?

05/02/2026

Most parents assume school and childcare gates are safe places for kids. Few realise they are often some of the most polluted with car exhaust sitting right at children’s breathing height while their lungs are still developing. The pollution is invisible, but the health impacts are real.

Idle Off is a simple, proven way communities are changing that. By encouraging drivers to switch off their engines while waiting, parents and educators are already improving air quality and protecting children’s health - together.

Join Parents for Climate and Doctors for the Environment Australia for the national launch of Idle Off. Hear from doctors, parent champions, and schools who are already making this work in their communities.

You’ll leave knowing exactly how to bring Idle Off to your own school or childcare and how to be part of a growing parent movement for clean air.

This isn’t about blame - it’s about community leadership, small actions, and big collective impact.

Because every child deserves to breathe clean air.

📆 Tuesday, 10th February, 8pm AEDT
🔗 Register here: https://www.parentsforclimate.org/idle_off_webinar

05/02/2026

🌡️ The heat we have been experiencing recently is NOT normal. Yes, Australia has always been a hot and dry country - but it’s getting rapidly hotter and drier due to human-caused climate change.

A better future is still possible, if our leaders act now. To protect the health of the Australian people, the federal government must commit to leaving fossil fuels in the ground and rapidly increase our investment in renewables.

04/02/2026

☀️ Today is Extreme Heat Awareness Day 🌡️ - a day to raise awareness about this growing public health issue.

Extreme heat kills more Australians than all other natural hazards combined.

Hot temperatures increase our risk of heat-related illness, like heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Hotter days are also associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease, domestic violence and mental health emergencies.

Extreme heat is becoming more frequent and severe due to climate pollution from coal, oil and gas.

Governments must treat climate change as the public health emergency it is and urgently phase out coal and gas.

Sweltering Cities Australian Red Cross

04/02/2026

🌡️ Extreme heat causes significant harm to both our mental and physical health 🧠

For Extreme Heat Awareness Day, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Cybele Dey speaks about how extreme heat affects our physical and mental wellbeing, and what we can do to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

Sweltering Cities Australian Red Cross

03/02/2026

☀️ DEA member Dr Nicole Sleeman was interviewed by Cairns Local News, speaking about the impacts of extreme heat on health and the upcoming Extreme Heat Awareness Day event happening in Cairns this weekend.

📆 Feb 7th 2026, 2-5pm.
📍Cairns Esplanade, Sea Eagle Lawn

Sweltering Cities

03/02/2026

ALL THOSE IN FAVOUR, SAY AYE ✋

Federal Parliament returns today for the first sitting fortnight of 2026.

To mark the occasion, we’re revisiting this moment from our Health + Climate Forum last September, when we passed an (unofficial) parliamentary motion, calling on the federal government to put the health of the Australian people ahead of the interests of the fossil fuel industry.

With global temperature records tumbling like dominoes, there is no excuse for delay. We have the technology and resources to transition to healthy, clean renewables now; what is lacking is the political will to do so.

Our Government must stop approving new coal and gas projects and urgently ramp up Australia’s investment in renewables.

No more empty promises. The time for real climate action is NOW.

02/02/2026

Happy World Wetlands Day!

Wetlands are one of our most vital natural resources, providing a wide range of benefits that support both human and planetary health. Wetlands filter pollutants from the air and water, support biodiversity, reduce flood peaks, and store more carbon than any other ecosystem.

Sadly, wetlands are also the most threatened ecosystem on Earth, disappearing three times faster than forests.

The theme of this year’s World Wetlands Day is ‘Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage’. Australia has 67 internationally significant Ramsar wetlands, 11 of which are jointly managed by the government and Traditional Owners.

Traditional Owners have been caring for Country for generations. Listening to and valuing their knowledge and perspectives is crucial for keeping our precious wetlands healthy.

The Convention on Wetlands

30/01/2026

🌡️People in southeastern Australia are sweating through a record-breaking extreme heatwave⚠️

Heatwaves are a silent killer, so it’s important to know the signs of heat-related illness and take steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safe 👇

29/01/2026

This week, Victoria recorded its hottest temperature ever, 48.9C. Temperatures like this are extremely dangerous, and not normal.

As Doctors for the Environment Australia Executive Director and GP Dr Kate Wylie says

“Australia is renowned for being a hot country, but the heat we’re experiencing now is not business as usual.”

Read more 👇

Neerim South dairy farmer Dave Johnson said this is the driest summer he’s experienced in 40 years working the land.

29/01/2026

When will our government put the health and wellbeing of the people ahead of the interests of the fossil fuel industry?