The climate crisis is here. And health is its human face. Climate change is harming the essential ingredients of good health — clean air, safe drinking water, reliable access to nutritious food supply, and safe shelter. These impacts further exacerbate the weaknesses of already overburdened health systems.
Climate change disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries. Yet, looking at it from a health perspective quickly highlights how the issue goes beyond borders and requires global solutions. According to the World Health Organization, 99% of the world’s population breathes unhealthy air, putting us at risk of heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, and pneumonia.
The urgency of the situation has captured the attention of global policymakers. In 2024, 16 years after the first World Health Assembly resolution on climate change and health, WHO member states are reviewing its content. This is an opportunity to overcome the limitations of the last resolution to address the challenges of today. We need a resolution that responds to the magnitude of the health and climate crisis, as demonstrated by ample scientific evidence.
The process is presided over by the Netherlands and Peru, with Barbados, Fiji, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, which are expected to draft the first concept of the new resolution next year. The text will then be adopted at the 77th WHA in May 2024.
Make it evidence-based and focus on the future
The stakes are high for this resolution. And so are the opportunities it offers to curb the rising health impacts of climate change. This resolution has the potential to set us on the pathway to safeguard a healthy environment for many more generations.
History shows us that evidence-based and forward-looking policymaking can make a difference in global health and the environment. In the field of global health, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, or FCTC, was a landmark achievement that led to effective legislation and reduced tobacco use worldwide. The FCTC introduced innovative novel measures, including taxation, advertising bans, and health warning labels that translated into an international legal framework.
When it comes to climate, the United Nations’ Montreal Protocol successfully encouraged the phasing out of specific human-made greenhouse gases that were destroying the ozone layer — the planet’s natural shield against the sun’s harsh ultraviolet rays. By 2065, the ozone layer should be recovered fully if countries continue to follow the stipulations of the protocol.
These examples show that when policymakers use the best available evidence and think beyond the short-term present, lasting solutions can be created for the health of our planet and its people. The next WHA resolution on climate change and health should follow this approach and be guided by the latest scientific findings and the highest level of ambition. Anything less could be a missed opportunity to protect the health of current and future generations.
A plea for a cross-sectoral approach
Health is not solely the responsibility of one sector but of all. It demands coherence and coordination across policymaking domains. Yet, too often, we see siloed policymaking. Efforts made within the health sector may be eroded by the lack of interventions in other sectors.
WHO urges the health sector to take responsibility and reduce its emissions. This is important considering the sector accounts for 4%-5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, these efforts will be futile if other sectors are allowed to pollute.
With fossil fuels accounting for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the resolution must make the health case for a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Similar to what the FCTC has achieved, we must protect public health from the commercial interests of the fossil fuel industry.
There are also economic gains from the phaseout of fossil fuels. WHO estimates that air pollution from fossil fuels caused $2.9 trillion in health and economic costs in 2018, about $8 billion a day.
Supporting cross-sectoral dialogues between health ministries and other sectors will be key if we are to reduce the health impacts of climate change. An important element is to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels across sectors such as industrial farming, transportation, and energy.
This resolution has the opportunity to innovate the policymaking approach and to support cross-sectoral dialogues to ensure national governments are adopting a planetary health lens across all policy areas.
Whose responsibility, and to whom?
Ultimately, tackling climate change and its impacts on health is a society-wide responsibility. However, policymakers have much more influence than one single individual to change systems, especially at a global level. As the Netherlands, Peru, Barbados, Fiji, Kenya, and the U.K. embark on the journey to renew the WHA resolution, we hope that there is at least one takeaway: Ask yourself if future generations 50 years from now will approve the policies that were signed today.
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About the authors
Adriana Parejo Pagador
Adriana Parejo Pagador is an advocacy communications officer at the Dutch development aid organization Cordaid, with expertise in global health, climate, migration, and gender. She has five years of experience working in the development and humanitarian field. She holds a Master of Science in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam, as well as a Master of Science in Public Administration of Migration and Diversity from the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Kimberley Nagesser
Kimberley Nagesser is a medical student in her final year with a passion for global health. She has been involved in IFMSA-NL, an organization for Dutch medical students, since 2016 and has occupied different positions in the organization. She is currently one of the coordinators of the Youth Delegate Program, which is a collaboration between IFMSA-NL, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
