Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health ahead of COP30

The Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health is a regional declaration endorsed by over 50 original signatories, including governmental, academic, and civil society organizations. The document outlines six strategic pillars—health protection, mitigation, adaptation, climate justice, leadership, and financing—to center public health in climate action and influence COP30.

• The document identifies a critical need to protect health from climate impacts, noting that children and older adults in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experienced over 250% more heatwave days per year between 2013–2022 compared to the 1986–2005 period. Proposed actions include integrating physical and mental health into climate response, strengthening Primary Health Care with gender-sensitive approaches, and establishing cross-border information exchange and surveillance networks.
• Mitigation strategies should prioritize health co-benefits to address the fact that 99% of the region's population is exposed to air pollution, resulting in 320,000 premature deaths annually. The position advocates for aligning Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with the 1.5°C goal, supporting a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, transforming food systems, and decarbonizing the health sector.
• Climate justice and equity are central to the position, highlighting that Indigenous peoples in South America face double the mortality from wildfire smoke compared to non-Indigenous populations. The document calls for the full implementation of the Escazú Agreement, the inclusion of ancestral worldviews such as Buen Vivir, and the addressing of climate-induced migration and territorial rights.
• There is a significant gap in adaptation and health system resilience, with only 11 countries in the region possessing a national health and climate change plan and only 10 having completed vulnerability assessments. The position urges the integration of health into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and support for the Belém Health Action Plan.
• The document identifies failures in health leadership and financing. Most regional universities exclude climate change from undergraduate health training, and only 11.6% of Green Climate Fund (GCF) investments in LAC address health. The position calls for training health professionals, integrating health authorities into climate governance, and increasing the inclusion of public health projects in international funding portfolios like the GCF, GEF, and Adaptation Fund.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (2025). Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health ahead of COP30. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/position-paper-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-on-climate-change-and-health/

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health ahead of COP30. 2025. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/position-paper-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-on-climate-change-and-health/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health ahead of COP30 |date=22 July 2025 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/position-paper-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-on-climate-change-and-health/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalclimateandhealthalliance2025common, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health ahead of COP30}}, publisher = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/position-paper-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-on-climate-change-and-health/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }