“Climate+1” – A strategy to integrate and advance climate education across the medical education learning continuum

Climate change impacts all of society yet disproportionately affects systemically marginalized and vulnerable communities contributing further to health inequity. Family physicians are well positioned to address the climate crisis through our care for communities and individual patients and as community engaged physician advocates compelled by the climate’s evolving influence on health. Without increasing curriculum time, our family medicine department added climate content into existing teaching spaces (curricula, programs, lecture series, faculty development) by adapting the “plus one” slide concept. We implemented our “Climate+1” strategy across the learning continuum (UME-GME-CME) with interventions scoped in each instance based on resources (particularly time). Our Climate+1 strategy consists of adding at minimum a single climate aligned slide, case, or reading to required sessions within existing courses, rotations, or didactics. This strategy has been positively received across the learning continuum, creating opportunities for education on the impact of climate change on specific diseases and informing advocacy for health equity. The Climate+1 is a simple method to capitalize on the educational spaces we already occupy to integrate climate education in alignment with existing educational goals and community needs to act as advocates for the health of our communities and health equity.