The agreements made at COP29 fell short of the ambition and focus needed to fully address the health impacts of climate change and maximize the benefits of action, according to experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
As the dust settles on the 29th UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, they acknowledged some progress towards mainstreaming health into the climate agenda, but said significant gaps remain.
At COP29, LSHTM researchers called for adequate funding for climate action to protect health and highlighted the need for a just transition to net zero, taking into account current and historical inequalities in carbon emissions.
By the end of two weeks of negotiations, the richest countries agreed to provide $300 billion a year to poorer countries until 2035 to support their efforts to tackle climate change. While hailed by some leaders as a step in the right direction, the deal falls well short of the $1.3 trillion sought by developing countries and will have major implications for the health and livelihoods of people living in climate-vulnerable countries which often have the fewest resources to adapt and transition to a low-carbon economy.
Commenting on the result, Shakoor Hajat, Professor of Global Environmental Health at LSHTM and COP29 spokesperson, said: “The amount committed in the new agreement is certainly disappointing, but it also does not make it clear whether these are grants or loans. Many of the most climate-vulnerable countries already pay more on existing loans from other countries than on their own health systems The COP29 agreement should only be the starting point for further negotiations and the additional funding needed to save lives.”
Speaking at a pre-COP event organized by LSHTM, Dr. Vanessa Kerry, Founder of SEED Global Health, WHO Director-General, Special Envoy for Climate Change & Health, and LSHTM graduate, also emphasized the importance of highlighting the economic cost of health impacts of climate change.
Members of the health community said the outcome of the financial agreement at the COP would fail to protect millions of lives, especially those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as developing countries and small island nations.
In addition to funding, a key focus of COP discussions is commitments to mitigate climate change or actions to move away from fossil fuels and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. During side events at COP29, LSHTM researchers and Pathfinder Initiative partners called for the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors. They highlighted the overwhelming evidence of short-term health benefits through reduced air pollution from phasing out fossil fuels, more sustainable diets and increased physical activity from promoting active transport.
Despite the COP29 Presidency’s ambitious statements on addressing mitigation, little progress has been made on final agreements, with some unresolved discussions postponed to COP30.
Rachel Juel, who represented the Children, Cities and Climate Action Lab, LSHTM and YOUNGO at COP29, said: “Postponing debate delays critical climate action and costs lives. Urgent action is needed to create the systemic change we need to address the climate crisis and protect health. Most critically, action must be led by developed countries, which currently do not take full responsibility for steering the transfer of climate finance to developing countries, increasing the already disproportionate burden of climate impact on frontline countries.
“Nevertheless, there have been some small steps that signal progress for health. Parties adopted qualitative criteria for integrating health into nationally determined contributions, and the Global Adaptation Target included specific language on cross-sectoral indicators related to child health and youth.and specific indicators that capture information about human rights (including health) and people who are typically at increased risk of ill health due to climate change, such as those living with disabilities, migrants, children, young people and indigenous peoples.“
Outside the formal negotiations, momentum on climate and health continued to build. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health, highlighting health as an argument for climate action and outlining priorities from the global health community for governments, policy makers and other sectors to put health at the heart of the climate. solutions.
On Health Day (November 18), the Continuation Coalition of the Baku COP Climate and Health Presidencies was established, led by the United Kingdom, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Brazil, in partnership with the WHO. This initiative aims to bridge efforts across COP presidencies to promote global climate health initiatives and ensure that health remains central to climate discussions leading up to COP30 in Belém.
Speaking at an event organized by the Wellcome Trust at the UK COP29 Pavilion on ‘The Road to Belém: Connecting Health, Science and Indigenous Knowledge’, Hugh Sharma Waddington, Assistant Professor at LSHTM shared findings from the Pathfinder Initiative on the benefits and the health cost-effectiveness of nature-based solutions, as well as evidence of the health benefits of cross-sectoral actions.
Demonstrating the growing health impacts of climate change and the major short-term health benefits of action and communicating these to decision-makers is critical as we look ahead to COP30 onwards. We must continue to push for health to be at the heart of climate action and emphasize solutions that work for both people and the planet.”
Dr. Hugh Sharma Waddington, Assistant Professor, LSHTM
During a panel discussion on “Promoting climate action for health at COP29 and beyond” at the LSHTM pre-COP conference, Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor at LSHTM, said: “What we need to push for beyond this COP is to branch out beyond The health care sector We need to work with ministers from all sectors of transport, energy and finance health benefits from effective climate solutions”.
