HEALTH AND CLIMATE AT COP21 AND BEYOND

The Global Climate and Health Alliance calls for a universal climate agreement that prioritizes health, urging governments to phase out coal and fossil fuel subsidies while integrating health impact assessments into national climate planning. The document highlights that tackling climate change is a major global health opportunity, with the potential to prevent millions of premature deaths through emissions reductions and the transition to renewable energy.

• Climate change creates diverse health threats, including direct risks like heat stress and extreme weather injuries, and indirect risks such as malnutrition, infectious disease, and worsening poverty, which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations.
• Addressing climate change presents a significant global health opportunity; for instance, targeting Short Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) could prevent approximately 2.4 million deaths annually by 2050 and reduce warming by about 0.5°C.
• National mitigation commitments (INDCs) can prevent millions of premature deaths from fine particulate matter exposure; for example, if aligned with a 2°C-compatible trajectory, China could prevent 1.1 million deaths per year by 2030, compared to 100,000 under current INDCs.
• There is a significant gap in national preparedness for climate-related health risks; a survey of 35 countries found that 77.1% had no comprehensive identification of health risks from climate projections and 65.7% had done little to identify vulnerable populations.
• The health sector contributes significantly to global emissions and expenditure, representing approximately 10% of global GDP, meaning sustainable healthcare can deliver substantial emissions reductions.
• The document recommends that high-income countries meet the USD $100 billion annual climate finance pledge, ensuring funds are provided as grants rather than loans and specifically targeted toward health system strengthening and social determinants of health.

APA

Braithwaite, I. (n.d.). HEALTH AND CLIMATE AT COP21 AND BEYOND. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Health-and-Climate-in-2015-and-Beyond.pdf

Chicago

Braithwaite, Isobel. HEALTH AND CLIMATE AT COP21 AND BEYOND. Global Climate and Health Alliance, n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Health-and-Climate-in-2015-and-Beyond.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Braithwaite |first1=Isobel |title=HEALTH AND CLIMATE AT COP21 AND BEYOND |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Health-and-Climate-in-2015-and-Beyond.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{braithwaitendhealth, author = {Braithwaite, Isobel}, title = {{HEALTH AND CLIMATE AT COP21 AND BEYOND}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Health-and-Climate-in-2015-and-Beyond.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }