Civil Society Call To Action

A 2014 civil society statement from the WHO Health and Climate Conference calling for the health sector to declare climate change a global public health emergency and lead a transition away from fossil fuels through a 'divest-invest' framework to protect human health and reduce healthcare costs.

• The signatories identify climate change as the most significant health threat of the 21st century and an urgent risk to human health, noting that impacts are already occurring globally and will worsen without transformative system change, especially in the poorest regions.
• The document argues that the primary cause of climate change is an 'unbridled dependence on fossil fuels' and asserts that burning the majority of proven fossil fuel reserves would lead to immense health impacts.
• A transition to renewable energy is presented as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide short-term health benefits, including the reduction of air pollution and the saving of billions of dollars in healthcare costs.
• The health sector is urged to adopt a 'divest-invest' framework, which involves phasing out subsidies and investments in fossil fuels and increasing investment in sustainable alternatives, similar to how the sector previously divested from tobacco.
• The call to action requests that health leaders take four specific steps: declare climate change a global public health emergency; advocate for a fair and ambitious international climate agreement in 2015; implement low-carbon healthcare and public health policies; and support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy via the divest-invest approach.

APA

ostyx (2014). Civil Society Call To Action. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/news/who-health-and-climate-conference-civil-society-call-to-action/

Chicago

ostyx. Civil Society Call To Action. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2014. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/news/who-health-and-climate-conference-civil-society-call-to-action/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=ostyx |title=Civil Society Call To Action |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=29 August 2014 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/news/who-health-and-climate-conference-civil-society-call-to-action/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{ostyx2014civil, author = {ostyx}, title = {{Civil Society Call To Action}}, publisher = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/news/who-health-and-climate-conference-civil-society-call-to-action/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }