Embedding ethics in health and climate change: WHO satellite meeting at the 14th Global Summit of National Ethics Committees, San Marino, 16 April 2024

Overview

This World Health Organization (WHO) satellite meeting on embedding ethics in health and climate change, held at the 14th Global Summit of national ethics committees in San Marino on 16 April 2024, brought together attendees from over 20 national ethics committees (NECs) and national research ethics committees (NRECs) from all WHO regions to discuss the ethical implications of the climate threat to health, and to hear about the work that WHO is undertaking to embed ethical awareness in health and climate policy. Attendees shared experiences from their own countries on the most pressing climate threats to health, and the ethical implications of policy responses to those threats; identified population groups most at risk, and the nature of the responsibilities of key stakeholders; and explored the role that NECs and NRECs could play in supporting an ethically informed health response to the climate crisis.