Emeritus Professor David Shearman AM, physician, scholar, environmental advocate, and co‑founder of Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), passed away last weekend. His loss is felt deeply across the medical, scientific, and environmental communities, where his influence has been profound and enduring.

Long before “planetary health” became a recognised field, David Shearman understood—clearly and urgently—that human wellbeing is inseparable from the health of the natural world.

Trained in Edinburgh and later serving as Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Adelaide, he built a distinguished clinical and academic career in gastroenterology. Yet it was his environmental foresight that would define his life’s work.

In 2001, alongside the late Professor Tony McMichael, he co‑founded Doctors for the Environment Australia at a time when the medical profession had barely begun to grapple with the health implications of climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological decline. Their shared conviction—that protecting the planet is inseparable from protecting patients—became the cornerstone of the DEA’s mission.

A formidable thinker

Those who worked with David describe him as a formidable intellect, a man of immense drive, and an indefatigable advocate. He was never content with passive concern; he pushed, prodded, and challenged colleagues and institutions to confront the realities of environmental degradation and its human toll.

His writing—spanning books such as Green or Gone and The Climate Change Challenge and the Failure of Democracy—was marked by moral clarity and scientific rigour. He warned early of the cascading health impacts of climate change: heat deaths, extreme weather, food system instability, mental health strain, and forced migration.

David believed that medicine’s duty extended far beyond the clinic. As he often said, “Health care is more than looking after patients. It is looking after the Earth and the environment.”

DEA’s Executive Director, Dr Kate Wylie, captured the sentiment of many in her tribute:

“David was a man of immense vision and drive, who devoted his life to protecting human and environmental health… All of us at DEA stand on his shoulders, and we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.” LinkedIn

Through his foresight and tenacity, DEA grew into a strong, credible medical voice—one that continues to influence national policy, educate clinicians, and advocate for a safer climate and healthier communities.

A significant contributor

His appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2015 recognised his significant contributions to medicine and environmental health.

Even in his later years, David remained sharp, engaged, and unyieldingly committed. Colleagues recall conversations filled with urgency, humour, and the unmistakable sense that he still had work to do. His passion never dimmed.

Today, his legacy lives on in:

• The thousands of clinicians he inspired to see planetary health as core to medical ethics
• The policies and public conversations he helped shape
• The students and colleagues he mentored
• The global movement he helped catalyse—one that now recognises environmental stewardship as a fundamental determinant of health

To David Shearman, we owe not only admiration but action. His life’s message was clear: evidence must guide us, courage must move us, and the health of people and planet must never be separated.

As DEA wrote in their announcement:

“David, we thank you for your extraordinary contribution. Your legacy will continue to guide, to strengthen and to inspire us.”

May his memory continue to embolden all who work for a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable world.