COP30 Special Report on Climate and Health

Overview

This COP30 Special Report on Health and Climate Change forms part of the Belém Health Action Plan’s (BHAP) launch at COP30, with a focus on the intersection of implementation and evidence. The report mirrors the structure of the BHAP, with an opening section on health equity and climate justice carried forward throughout the report. It integrates BHAP’s Action Lines with the WHO Operational Framework for Building Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Health Systems, examining the scientific underpinnings and real-world interventions in: 1) health information systems; 2) capability and capacity related to health infrastructure, workforce, governance and finances; and finally 3) innovation, research and monitoring. The report concludes with an in-depth examination of the profound limits to adaptation, the consequences of unmitigated climate change, the synergies between resilient and low-carbon strategies, and the resulting need for a balanced and strategic global approach.

Drawing on the Belém Health Action Library - a repository of case studies from around the world - the report identifies practical interventions already delivering results - from early warning systems and green hospital design to climate-informed health planning and sustainable financing. This COP30 Special Report was prepared under the guidance of an Expert Advisory Group of global public health leaders, chaired by the NUS Centre for Sustainable Medicine and with the leadership of the WHO and the Brazilian Ministry of Health.