'I'm scared – but I'm ready to go': Why GPs are willing to go to prison to protest the climate crisis

On 7 January 2025, well-respected GP Dr Patrick Hart, was sentenced to a 12-month custodial sentence, becoming the first practicing British GP to be jailed for climate activism.

I first met Patrick in 2018 during the Extinction Rebellion protests in London, when a group of healthcare workers came together under the name “Doctors for Extinction Rebellion” (now Health for Extinction Rebellion) because of our concern around the health impacts of climate change. Patrick first became aware of its devastating health impacts while working in drought-torn South Africa as a junior doctor – his memory of treating children with severe malnutrition was strong, and he felt it was under his duty as a doctor to try and prevent that from happening to others. However, protest was something new for him – in his own words, he wasn’t the kind of person who had been involved in activism before, let alone knowingly broken the law. But, Patrick was so concerned about the climate emergency – like we’re seeing play out now with extreme fires in LA, and he’d tried so many other avenues like writing to his MP which never seemed to lead to any change, that he felt this was the path he must take. 

The protest and sentencing

In August 2022, during a Just Stop Oil demonstration, Dr Hart used a glass-break hammer and orange paint to disable 16 petrol pumps at an Esso service station on the M25 near Thurrock, Essex. He then gave himself up for arrest. The action was protesting the ongoing extraction and use of fossil fuels by major corporations like Exxon Mobil, which owns Esso and has a controversial history – infamously concealing the findings of its climate scientists. The damage was estimated at around £10,000 and, as a result, Dr Hart was found guilty of criminal damage. 

‘An act of conscience and care’

Dr Hart has always emphasised that his protest was a deliberate and morally driven decision.

He said: “I believed then, and I believe now, that what I did was right. It was the considered action of a responsible citizen acting out of conscience.”

He further explained that his disruption was an act of care aimed at protecting public health from the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis. 

In his trial, Dr Hart said: “I disrupted people as an act of care. I damaged the petrol pump screens as an act of care, because in times of great peril, a caring person has to stand up for what is right. My actions have already cost me greatly. But I regret nothing. Because to not do it would have been to give up on caring, and that would be worse. In the face of the permanent collapse of our climate, our economy, our society and life on Earth, the only thing that keeps me going is our continued capacity as people to care, regardless of what happens. Yes, I fear prison, but I am ready to go if I must.” 

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Implications of the climate crisis for the medical profession

Dr Hart now faces a hearing with the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), where he could potentially have his medical license suspended or be struck off the register entirely. This development follows similar cases where doctors have faced professional repercussions for climate activism. Notably, retired GPs Dr Sarah Benn and Dr Diana Warner were suspended after convictions related to environmental protests.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has stated that while doctors have the right to express their opinions, unlawful actions can lead to professional scrutiny. A spokesperson reiterated that it’s the act of breaking the law, not the motivation behind it, that is subject to disciplinary action.

This stance has been met with criticism from within the medical community and beyond. Supporters argue that penalising healthcare professionals for advocating against what they see as the greatest threat to public health is counterproductive. They point to historical instances where the GMC’s actions were later regretted, such as the organisation’s past treatment of gay doctors under outdated laws.

Dr Hart’s case raises profound questions about the role of medical professionals in society. Is it within a doctor’s duty to engage in civil disobedience when they believe it serves the greater good and protects public health? Prominent figures in the medical field have weighed in on this issue. 

In 2019, Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, said: “All health professionals have a duty and obligation to engage in all kinds of non-violent social protest to address the climate emergency.”

A wider movement

Dr Hart is among a growing number of professionals – including teachers, care workers and students – who have faced legal consequences for climate activism. His imprisonment underscores the increasing tensions between activists, authorities and protest policing and sentencing amid worsening climate breakdown. Dr Patrick Hart’s sentencing is more than a legal judgment; it’s a reflection of the broader societal struggle to address the climate emergency. His case challenges us to consider the lengths to which individuals – and professionals bound by ethical codes – should go in advocating for the planet’s future.

As the climate crisis intensifies, the actions of Dr Hart and others may well inspire a reevaluation of professional responsibilities and the role of civil disobedience in effecting change.

Dr Rita Issa is a GP and academic researching climate change and health. She is the co-editor of the upcoming book Health, Resistance and Activism.

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