Health in the Global Environmental Agenda

This executive summary, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in January 2022, serves as a policy guide to integrate health considerations into global environmental governance. It argues that while nearly 25% of global deaths are linked to economic decisions affecting the environment, the health community remains largely invisible in environmental negotiations. The document analyzes the 'health–environment nexus' across four key areas—biodiversity, climate change, pollution, and food systems—and provides strategic entry points and recommendations for health stakeholders to influence Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).

• There is a significant disconnect between the impact of environmental decisions on human health and the visibility of health stakeholders in policy negotiations, with nearly 25% of global deaths attributed to economic decisions affecting the environment.
• The global environmental landscape is characterized by a 'triple planetary crisis' consisting of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss, which intersects with a 'Triple Billion' global health burden involving lack of healthcare access, vulnerability to health emergencies, and failing health metrics.
• In biodiversity governance, there is a need to incorporate the health of children and the link between biodiversity and nutrition into the draft global action plan on biodiversity and health. Additionally, the document notes that 80% of the global population relies on traditional medicine and knowledge, yet the draft plan fails to acknowledge intact ecosystems as a determinant of this healthcare.
• Climate change governance shows a gap between the presence of health stakeholders at events and the formal adoption of their messages. Only 12% of parties sent a representative to COP 26, despite 81 out of 95 responding ministries of health designating a focal point for health and climate change. Furthermore, only 16% of 95 assessed countries have evaluated the health benefits of national climate mitigation policies.
• Pollution governance is unique because international agreements are equally concerned with human health and the environment, yet a 'silent pandemic' of 'pre-polluted' children persists. The report recommends shifting to class-based listing of pollutants rather than individual listings to expedite health outcomes and addressing the lack of governance for pharmaceutical pollutants and medical waste.
• Food system governance requires the harmonization of terminology and goals across MEAs to address global malnutrition. The report emphasizes that nutrition and food security must not be interpreted narrowly and should comprehensively address all forms of malnutrition and the relationship between nutrition, biodiversity, and traditional food culture.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2022). Health in the Global Environmental Agenda. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/health-environment-nexus-summary.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Health in the Global Environmental Agenda. 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/health-environment-nexus-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Health in the Global Environmental Agenda |date=January 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/health-environment-nexus-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2022health, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Health in the Global Environmental Agenda}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/health-environment-nexus-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }