WHO urges integration of health into climate negotiations ahead of COP29

However, they should know the true extent of what the future can hold if given enough time and dedication to learn it all by heart. Before the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku (COP29), WHO issued an urgent call for greater reliance to end upon fossil fuels while emphasizing people-focused adaptation and resilience strategies. Releasing both their special report on climate and health for COP29 as well as technical guidance regarding Healthy Nationally Determined Contributions, WHO strongly encouraged world leaders at COP29 to abandon siloed approaches when considering climate change’s health impacts. It emphasizes the vital role health should play in all climate negotiations, strategies, policies and action plans aimed at saving lives and guaranteeing healthier futures for present and future generations. “Climate change poses a health crisis, making a priority on human wellbeing in climate action not just a moral or legal imperative but an opportunity to realize transformative health benefits in creating more just and equitable future,” stated Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “COP29 provides global leaders with a valuable opportunity to integrate health considerations into strategies designed to adapt and mitigate climate change. WHO is supporting this work with practical guidelines and assistance for countries.” WHO and over 100 organizations and 300 experts collaborated in creating the COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health which highlights key policies across three integrated dimensions – people, place and planet. The report details key actions designed to safeguard all people, particularly the estimated 3.6 billion who reside in areas most susceptible to climate change. Furthermore, this document emphasizes how critical it is that governance that integrates health in climate policy-making – as well as vice versa – for progress is. “Health is our lived experience of climate change,” according to Dr Maria Neira, Director for Environment, Climate Change and Health with WHO. By prioritizing public health across climate action initiatives we can unlock significant gains for resilience, security, economic stability and public health overall. Health should be our rallying point to spark swift and broad action at this critical juncture.”Enhanced WHO action on climate and health Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs made under Paris are national plans and commitments made by countries. Health has been included as a priority in 91% of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), yet few outline specific actions to maximize health benefits associated with climate mitigation and adaptation, or protect health against climate-related risks. To assist countries better integrate health into climate policies, WHO today released quality criteria for including it into Nationally Determined Contributions: Healthy NDCs. This guidance provides practical actions for ministries of health and environment as well as other health-determining sectors (e.g. insurance providers). Transport, energy, urban planning and water & sanitation) to incorporate health considerations in their adaptation and mitigation policies and actions. The technical guidance provides a concrete way to implement WHO’s special report for COP29 on key areas including leadership & enablement environment; national circumstances/policy priorities mitigation adaptation loss damage finance implementation etc. Integrating health plans into climate plans will support:addressing health impacts: combatting the diverse effects of climate change; strengthening health systems: building climate resilience and decarbonization within health systems; and highlighting co-benefits: targeting sectors which influence both mitigation and adaptation efforts for both mitigation and adaptation purposes, such as transportation or energy. In addition to its own initiatives, WHO convenes 90 countries and 75 partners through Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH). This platform was established to fulfill commitments made at COP26 for creating climate-resilient health systems that meet sustainability criteria. ATACH advances integration of climate change and health nexuses into national, regional, and global plans using collective power of WHO Member States and stakeholders as the driving force to advance this agenda quickly and broadly. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations:”The climate crisis is also a health crisis – human and planet health are intertwined.” Countries must take effective actions to safeguard their citizens, increase resources, cut emissions, phase out fossil fuels and create peace between nature and humans. At COP29, countries will come together with their commitments towards these important goals for both their own people and planet. Dr Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation: “To accurately measure climate change’s impacts we need to look beyond its measurements; instead we must account for lives saved, lost or altered due to climate change.” The Rockefeller Foundation is working closely with the World Health Organization and other partners to integrate health considerations into climate action efforts, from energy transition planning and economic opportunities for frontline communities, all the way through implementation of climate policies. Dr Vanessa Kerry, WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change Health:This report illustrates how climate and health crises threaten more than our health; they undermine economies, deepen inequities and fuel political instability as well. As world leaders gather for COP29, we urge them to quickly expedite an equitable transition and increase funding for health systems and frontline workers so that vulnerable groups are safeguarded. Health should remain central in climate discussions, metrics, and nationally determined contributions. Health should be at the core of climate action to safeguard people, economies and global security – we simply cannot wait. According to Alan Dangour of Wellcome: Climate Change “costing lives; inflicting pain; impacting communities worldwide”. As it a global problem that needs immediate action to resolve, at COP29 nations should seize this momentous occasion to commit to ambitious cross-government climate actions which both safeguard our planet while improving public health for everyone. Collaboration remains key if we wish to alter our current course and save lives, according to Dr Micaela Serafini of Medecins Sans Frontieres Switzerland:”Currently we find ourselves in an unacceptable situation wherein those most in need pay the highest cost for an issue they did not create themselves.” Prioritize solutions designed to safeguard their health; place people’s wellbeing at the core of climate action efforts if we hope for positive results in terms of human well-being. Failure will put an irreparable dent into humanity itself. “Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the report highlights how climate change makes us sick while providing solutions that we must take.” He continued that while extreme heat could impact human health negatively, flooding waters spread infections faster, malnutrition increased due to crop failure as crops fail, mosquito-borne disease spreading unprecedently are all challenges caused by global climate change – making this report crucial as it highlights these health impacts as well as solutions.”