COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health signed by 123 nations, $1 billion in financing announced

The 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) Declaration on Climate and Health was signed by 123 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and the European Union on December 2.

India has not yet signed. However, several countries have committed to sign before COP28 concludes. China is not formally mentioned in the agreement because it signed two hours before the declaration was released.

In the declaration, countries committed to incorporating health considerations in the context of the Paris Agreement and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes.

The declaration said health will be taken into account “while designing the next round of nationally determined contributions, long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, national adaptation plans, and adaptation communications.”

It encourages investment, sharing best practices and assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of health systems. The declaration also says that countries should implement a One Health approach that integrates people, animals and the environment.

The declaration asks countries to address linkages between environmental and climatic factors and antimicrobial resistance and intensify efforts for the early detection of zoonotic spillovers as an effective means of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

Shwetha Narayan, Global Climate and Health Campaigner at Health Care Without Harm, a non-governmental organisation, told Down to Earth (DTE):

It is a very significant development because, for the first time, we are talking about the health impact around climate issues. We are no longer seeing health and climate as absolutely separate, but health as absolutely fundamental in terms of the impact of climate change. While this is a very welcome indication that things will change, I would say that the declaration will only be considered a success if we see the impact in the negotiations where health comes to the front and centre while discussing fossil fuels or financing.

Jess Beagley, policy lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, a partnership of doctors, nurses, researchers, and public health experts, told DTE that we need to ensure an outcome from COP where this commitment is being translated to action as the declaration itself is non-binding. We need health to translate into the negotiations, she said.

“In terms of what we hope for as outcomes from those negotiations, we want a strong commitment to the fossil fuel phaseout. Without the fossil fuel phaseout, losses and damages will continue to accelerate, including health-related losses and damages. We also want to see health being included in the global goal on adaption, with targets and metrics for health without which we won’t be able to identify gaps and action needed. We know that actions across these pillars are not possible without climate finance which developed countries have committed to and failed to provide,” Beagley told DTE.

It was announced earlier on December 2 morning that $1 billion in financing for climate and health is to be provided by the Rockefeller Foundation, Green Climate Fund, Asian Development Bank and Global Fund, among other funding agencies.

Furthermore, on the same day, about 40 financing partners and civil society organisations endorsed and welcomed the COP28 Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions.

One of the principles called on stakeholders to leverage health finance to advance climate mitigation and adaptation in the health sector. The financing must support a holistic approach, addressing compounding climate, health and development challenges in integrated and not isolated ways, the document summarising the principles said.

Beagley commended the $1 billion commitment, which is a huge step forward for climate and health. “In terms of how the money will be spent, we are not sure of the details yet but we hope that it’s not only spent on the healthcare sector where we know the action is essential. We must look beyond the healthcare sector and towards other health-determining sectors, for more integrated health and climate action. On the adaptation side, resilient agriculture is crucial for nutrition security and providing clean water and sanitation to prevent people from water-borne diseases,” Beagley told DTE.

On December 2, over 40 million health professionals called on governments to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels and deliver on their commitments made in the Paris Agreement.

“In the face of the urgent challenges posed by health and climate change, health professionals stand united in every effort to improve health outcomes and address the climate crises. This inspires us all to contribute to a healthier, more resilient world for generations to come,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a press statement.