FINAL: COP28 Health Open Letter for signatory review

The Global Climate and Health Alliance and various health leaders argue that a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is essential to prevent overwhelming health consequences and to achieve the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement. They highlight that air pollution from fossil fuels causes 7 million premature deaths annually and cost the global economy over US$8.1 trillion in 2019. The letter calls for a just energy transition that prioritizes marginalized communities, the redirection of fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy, and the exclusion of fossil fuel industry lobbyists from climate negotiations.

• The signatories argue that the only way to ensure global health and economic prosperity is to keep the global temperature increase within the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, which requires a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.
• Air pollution linked to burning fossil fuels is responsible for 7 million premature deaths every year and resulted in economic costs exceeding US$8.1 trillion (6.1% of global GDP) in 2019.
• The letter rejects Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as an inadequate solution, claiming it extends fossil fuel use without providing immediate health benefits and may worsen emissions for overburdened communities.
• The authors call for a just energy transition that ensures access to affordable and resilient clean energy for fragile states and excluded communities, while redirecting the hundreds of billions of dollars currently spent on fossil fuel subsidies toward climate and health solutions.
• The letter demands that the fossil fuel industry be excluded from UNFCCC negotiations to prevent lobbying and disinformation, comparing the industry's influence to that of the tobacco industry in WHO frameworks.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (n.d.). FINAL: COP28 Health Open Letter for signatory review. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINAL_-COP28-Health-Open-Letter.pdf

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. FINAL: COP28 Health Open Letter for signatory review. n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINAL_-COP28-Health-Open-Letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=FINAL: COP28 Health Open Letter for signatory review |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINAL_-COP28-Health-Open-Letter.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalclimateandhealthalliancendfinal, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{FINAL: COP28 Health Open Letter for signatory review}}, publisher = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINAL_-COP28-Health-Open-Letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }