COP29 outcomes fall short on climate health action
· News-MedicalAgreements made at COP29 fell short of the ambition and focus needed to fully address the impacts of climate change on health and maximize the benefits of action, according to experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
Commenting on the outcome, Shakoor Hajat, Professor of Global Environmental Health at LSHTM and COP29 delegate, said: "The amount committed in the new agreement is certainly disappointing, but also doesn't make clear whether this will be grants or loans. Many of the most climate vulnerable countries already pay more servicing existing loans from other countries than they do on their own health systems. The COP29 agreement must only be a starting point for further negotiations and the additional finance needed to save lives."
Rachel Juel, who represented the Children, Cities and Climate Action Lab, LSHTM and YOUNGO at COP29, said: "Postponing discussions delays critical climate action and costs lives. Urgent action is needed to create the systemic change we need to tackle the climate crisis and protect health. Most critically, action must be led by developed countries, who are currently failing to take full responsibility in leading the transfer of climate finance to developing countries, increasing the already disproportionate burden of climate impacts on countries on the frontline.
"Despite this, there were some small steps signalling progress for health. Parties received quality criteria for integrating health into Nationally Determined Contributions, and the Global Goal on Adaptation included specific language on cross-cutting indicators related to the health of children and young people, and specific indicators that capture information about human rights (including health), and people that are typically at increased risk of ill-health due to climate change, such as those living with disabilities, migrants, children, young people, and Indigenous Peoples."
On Health Day (18 November), the Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health was established, co-led by the United Kingdom, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Brazil, in partnership with the WHO. This initiative aims to bridge efforts across COP presidencies to drive global climate-health initiatives, and ensure that health remains central in climate discussions towards COP30 in Belém.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Wellcome Trust at the UK COP29 Pavilion on 'The Road to Belém: Connecting Health, Science and Indigenous Knowledge', Hugh Sharma Waddington, Assistant Professor at LSHTM shared findings from the Pathfinder Initiative on the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of nature-based solutions, as well as highlighting evidence on the health benefits of cross-sectoral actions.
During a panel discussion on 'Advancing climate action for health at COP29 and beyond' at the pre-COP LSHTM conference, Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor at LSHTM, said: "What we need to push for beyond this COP is to branch out beyond the healthcare sector. We need to engage with ministers from across transport, energy and finance sectors. As a research community, we need to provide evidence on both the cost of inaction, and the health benefits of effective climate solutions."
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