Climate Change and Health
The Challenge
The climate crisis is a health crisis. Climate change poses the most significant threat to human health — not in some distant future — but urgently today, with nearly half of the world's population at risk. Over the past decade, the human impact of climate change has accelerated in some of the communities that contribute the least to our global emissions. Rising temperatures and growing incidence of natural disasters are spurring on the “double burden of disease,” where low-income countries must simultaneously tackle both endemic infectious disease as well as increasing rates of non-communicable disease in health systems that are already far too strained.
According to the World Health Organization, climate change is predicted to cause up to an additional 250,000 deaths annually over the next 20 years - many of those deaths from causes that are preventable with timely and appropriate care: diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, and heat stress. Studies show increased temperatures put fragile progress against maternal health goals at risk by increasing the chance of preterm birth, and vector-borne disease outbreaks are becoming more common and spreading faster within and across country borders.
There has been tremendous underinvestment at this nexus — according to the World Health Organization (WHO), just 0.5% of multilateral climate financing goes to health, with similar trends in philanthropy and bilaterals showing lack of support for critically-needed climate adaptation efforts.
The health impacts of climate change also have serious economic consequences. The World Bank estimates up to 132 million people will enter poverty by 2030 as a result of the direct health impacts of climate change and an estimated 1.2 billion people will be displaced by 2050. However, investment in health is not a cost, but a savings: studies show that every dollar invested in health can yield a return of up to $4.
Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health
In June 2023, Dr. Kerry was appointed the Director General 's Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health for the World Health Organization.
The role recognizes the growing importance of the global conversation on climate change and health and the need for urgent action.
In this new role, Dr. Kerry will play a pivotal role to amplify the WHO’s high-level climate change and health agenda. Her role will entail —
- Raise awareness and amplify WHOs messages on the importance of climate and health among the general public, key influencers and policy-makers.
- Provide high-level advocacy, interact with global and regional bodies and national governments, furthering WHO guidance, and encourage adoption and adaptation considering local, national and regional circumstances. In addition, under WHO's guidance, they will identify and interact with platforms and networks which can aid the implementation of WHO's guidance and policies.
- Provide strategic advice to the Director-General and decision-makers to help strengthen and position WHO as a trusted and credible source of information and support in line with WHO's guidance.
- Help mobilize resources and identify new partners and prominent personalities to further the work of WHO. The WHO Special Envoy will encourage international, regional and in-country stakeholders to support and mobilize resources for global, regional and national-level implementation of WHO guidance.
- Share lessons learned and best practices with the WHO and relevant departments.
COP28 and First Ever Day of Health
The organizers of COP28 are collaborating with World Health Organization (WHO) and a number of other civil society, multilateral, finance and other partners to host a first ever Day of Health at COP accompanied by a climate-health ministerial. Planned for December 3 2023, the Day of Health will provide high level dialogue on the health impacts of climate change, the call for action and a spotlight on the mitigation, adaptation and resilience response already happening around the globe. The WHO, together with the Wellcome Trust will host COP28 Health Pavilion.
As shared by the WHO, "this will generate a watershed moment for climate and health, convening a wide variety of actors including ministers, climate and health professionals, civil society organisations, youth representatives and business, and will bring the climate-health agenda into the mainstream."