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Doctors have called on ministers to plant more trees near homes and schools in a bid to ease pressure on the NHS and improve the country’s health.
The Woodland Trust said GPs support its campaign to increase native tree cover in the UK and prioritize the environment ahead of the general election.
A survey of 255 GPs found that three quarters (74 per cent) thought planting more trees and creating a healthier natural environment for people could help reduce the financial burden on the NHS.
The Woodland Trust said GPs support its campaign to increase native tree cover in the UK and prioritize the environment ahead of the general election.
And about the same number (77 percent) supported prescribing rest time in nature to help with health conditions and mental health issues.
About 94 percent of respondents thought it was necessary to plant hedges around urban schools to absorb pollution to improve children’s health and tackle diseases such as asthma.
Furthermore, in the run-up to the general election, 96 per cent thought policymakers should make the environment a priority.
Dr Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said politicians should pay attention to the results.
“A staggering 96 per cent of GPs, who are on the front line of healthcare in this country, want environmental issues to be put on the political agenda,” he said.
“They recognize the potentially life-giving benefits of a cleaner, greener world, increasingly important due to the increased effects of climate change, and they want their patients to be able to access those benefits more easily.”
And he added: ‘Forests and trees make us healthy and happy.
‘They sequester carbon, fight the effects of climate change, improve our health and wellbeing and reduce pollution and flooding, protecting nature, people and our planet.
“That’s why we’re asking people to support our climate campaign to plant more trees.”
Dr David Wrigley, vice-chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee in England, said: “Our health and the environment are intertwined in almost every way, and the potential benefits of more green space from a health perspective physical and mental well-being are yet to be determined. He understood.
“It is important that we ensure that more people have equal access to these spaces and that we do everything we can to protect the future of our planet and its people.”