ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND HEALTH

DESCRIPTION

Under the Paris Agreement, governments update their national climate plans – known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – every five years. These plans set out emissions reductions targets and interventions across sectors to address climate change. Health is a vital part of effective climate action. Ensuring the integration of health into climate policy protects populations, maximises economic benefits, and builds public support for ambitious climate policies which are so urgently needed.

In October 2026, the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) will launch the latest iteration of the Healthy NDC Scorecards, which provide a global assessment of how comprehensively health is integrated into national climate plans. The Scorecards examine, among other things, references to health impacts and air pollution, health-related actions across sectors, and financial and governance considerations.

By producing a global ranking highlighting where health is being addressed – and where important gaps remain – these scorecards provide policymakers with a tool to identify opportunities to strengthen the health dimension of climate action.

Ahead of COP31, this event will bring together governments, policymakers, international organizations, civil society, and health and climate experts to explore what the findings tell us about the current state of health integration in national climate planning, and what is needed to strengthen it in the next round of NDCs.

SPEAKERS

Welcome remarks: Suerie Moon, Professor of Practice, International Relations & Political Science Department and Director, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute

NDC Scorecard Results: Dr Nova Tebbe, Post Doctoral Researcher, Global Climate and Health Alliance and Climate Solutions for Health Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Panel discussion: 

– Amy Savage, PhD, Technical Officer, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization

More speakers will be announced soon.

Climate change is one of the defining public health challenges of the 21st century, with impacts ranging from heat-related mortality and air pollution to food insecurity, vector-borne diseases, and mental health risks. While health received increased political attention at COP30, important questions remain about how effectively health considerations are integrated into climate mitigation, adaptation, finance, and just transition frameworks.

At the same time, global climate governance is evolving— alongside the traditional consensus-based UN process, a form of “two-speed multilateralism” is emerging, where coalitions of willing countries and non-state actors advance practical initiatives and voluntary roadmaps. As the world looks toward COP31 and the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health, this evolving governance landscape raises important questions about how climate action can better advance health outcomes.

This hybrid event will bring together governments, international organizations, civil society, and academia to take stock of COP30 outcomes, explore opportunities to strengthen the climate–health agenda in the lead-up to COP31, and examine how new coalitions and political initiatives can accelerate action.

On 20 February 2025, the Global Health Centre’s International Geneva Global Health Platform co-hosted at the ‪@genevagraduateinstitute‬ with the Global Climate & Health Alliance and the World Health Organization (‪WHO‬) a panel discussion on the theme: “Health at the Heart of Climate Action: Turning Frameworks into Reality”.