Over 450 organizations representing over 45 million health workers, together with over 3,400 individuals from 102 different countries, have written an open letter to Heads of State around the world as well as every nation’s lead climate negotiator, calling for urgent climate action to protect people’s health.
Climate change poses an undeniable threat to our planet and the well-being of future generations. As we witness its far-reaching effects, it's becoming increasingly clear that urgent action is required across all sectors, including health care. The importance of health care climate action cannot be overstated; it's not only about reducing carbon emissions but also safeguarding public health, ensuring resilience against climate-related disasters, and demonstrating leadership in sustainability practices.
Plastics is a global health crisis hiding in plain sight. Throughout the lifecycle of plastic, from production to disposal, a wide array of toxic chemicals and microplastics pose risks through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. Communities, health workers, and health systems are already witnessing the detrimental impacts of plastic production and pollution.
During COP28, over 40 key thinkers and leaders from international organizations, government agencies, health systems, and civil society participated in a roundtable session to discuss how to accelerate health care climate action. The discussion focused on the pivotal current moment and future prospects for health care decarbonization and resilience, including the role of prevention as a mitigation strategy, acknowledging and addressing North-South complexity, and building an evidence base, tools, and technical capacity.
On November, Health Care With Harm and the Global Climate and Health Alliance launched the COP28 Open Letter on fossil fuels, unifying the voice of organizations representing over 46 million health care professionals from 135 countries.