Colleagues,
The Paris Agreement is potentially the strongest health agreement of this century, in not only addressing the health risks associated with climate change through mitigation and adaptation mechanisms, but also in helping ensure the attainment of the SDGs, which are integral to good health.
At COP23, last year, Prime Minister Bainimarama asked WHO to produce a report on health and climate change.
WHO in collaboration with the wider public health and climate change community has been working hard during the course of the 2018 and look forward to presenting the report next Wednesday in Katowice.
The report will provide negotiators and policymakers key information on how to maximise the health benefits of tackling climate change and avoid the worst health impacts of this global challenge
We all know that ongoing climate change is already causing negative health effects, and undermining the “right to health” represented in the Paris agreement.
The drivers of climate change, principally fossil fuel combustion, cause a very large burden of disease, including a major contribution to the 7 million annual deaths from outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Meeting the mitigation goals of the Paris agreement would be expected to save millions of lives through reductions in air pollution alone by the middle of the century.
Despite the fact that little support has been provided by either health or climate finance mechanisms, there are a wide range of proven strategies and interventions to protect health from climate change.
A strong climate and health call to action for COP24 was issued by organizations representing over 5 million doctors, nurses and public health professionals and 17,000 hospitals; from over 120 countries. We invite you all to sign this call, we invite you all to increase ambition, and we invite you all to target “Our Health” - Read the COP24 Special Report on Health and Climate Change. Thank you!