Dubai : The COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health, which was endorsed by more than 120 nations on Saturday, marked a turning point for health in climate negotiations.
The World Health Organization and the COP28 Presidency jointly announced the declaration to expedite steps to safeguard public health from the escalating effects of climate change.
The statement was made during the World Climate Action Summit, which brought together world leaders to kick off the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
Signed by 123 countries, the declaration is announced one day ahead of the first ever Health Day at a COP and marks a world first in acknowledging the need for governments to protect communities and prepare healthcare systems to cope with climate-related health impacts such as extreme heat, air pollution and infectious diseases.
The declaration was developed with the support of a number of ‘country champions’, including Brazil, Malawi, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Kenya, Fiji, India, Egypt, Sierra Leone, and Germany.
This joint action comes as annual deaths from polluted air hit almost nine million and as 189 million people are exposed to extreme weather-related events each year.
“The impacts of climate change are already at our door. They have become one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century. Governments have now rightly recognized health as a crucial element of climate action,” said COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber.
He went on to say “the declaration sends a strong signal that we must reduce global emissions and work together to strengthen our health systems” .
“Health has been a footnote in climate discussions for too long,” stated Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “The climate crisis is a health crisis.”
“The WHO welcomes this declaration, which emphasizes the need to build low-carbon, climate-resilient health systems in order to protect the health of people and the planet, and thanks the United Arab Emirates for making health a top priority during its COP28 Presidency.
“Climate change is increasingly impacting the health and wellbeing of our communities,” said Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi — one of the first countries to endorse the declaration. “Malawi has experienced these impacts first-hand –extreme weather events have displaced tens of thousands of our citizens and sparked infectious disease outbreaks that have killed thousands more. This year, at COP28, we are calling for a bolder path forward that prioritizes investments in health and wellbeing, ensures a just transition away from fossil fuels, and creates a healthier future for all of us.”
The declaration covers a range of action areas at the nexus of climate and health, including building more climate-resilient health systems, strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration to reduce emissions and maximize the health benefits of climate action, and increasing finance for climate and health solutions.
Signatories have also committed to incorporate health targets in their national climate plans and improve international collaboration to address the health risks of climate change, including at future COPs.
