• WHO should consider revising the narrow disease-specific definition of public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) to include climate change 

• UNFCCC’s National Adaptation Plans (NAP) should give a greater focus to health and support national governments with the development of their climate- and health-related plans 

• Medical schools should include climate change and its corresponding health impacts in the medical curricula 

 A new report by Public Policy Projects (PPP) has called the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare climate change a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The report, chaired by former Deputy Chair of PPP's Environment Pillar and currently Deputy Mayor of London Seb Dance and authored by PPP Policy Analyst Francesco Tamilia, showcases the devastating impacts of climate change on people’s health. 

 According to the WHO, climate change is the single greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. Ahead of COP26, more than 45 million health workers from across the world wrote an open letter to world leaders calling for urgent climate action to protect people’s health. Over 200 health journals worldwide have also urged world leaders to take action to keep global temperature increases below 1.5C and protect health. Climate change also threatens to reverse many of the advances in global health over the past 50 years and further widen existing health inequalities. 

 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has also stated that: “Climate change is the greatest long-term health threat globally and is expected to impact the UK increasingly over the coming years. We need to monitor and report those effects to inform the public and policymakers.” 

 Although the health impacts of climate change are already unfolding across every continent and are causing thousands of deaths every year. PPP’s report, The climate crisis and its health impacts, argues that the relationship between climate change and health is still widely underappreciated by policymakers and the public. 

 The PPP report also calls for national governments to develop effective strategies, as part of UNFCCC’s National Adaptation Plans (NAP), to identify, address and review the health impacts of climate change in their countries. NAPs should also place a greater focus on health and support national governments with the development of their climate- and health-related plans. 

 The report not only highlights the intimate link between climate change and human health but also illustrates the actions that can be taken to remedy this health crisis. The Climate Crisis and its Health Impacts outlines a series of solutions that governments and policymakers can implement to mitigate the health consequences of climate change.  

 Commenting on the report: 

Seb Dance, Chair of the report, said: 

 “Every day we take action to mitigate damage to ourselves. We avoid certain foods and limit our intake of harmful substances. We exercise and quit smoking and subscribe to gyms and nutritional programmes where we can to help guide us down a healthier path. But none of us can avoid climate change, much less those with the fewest resources for whom, as with every public health crisis, the options to mitigate are not always readily available. It is time to put a health warning on the biggest global challenge we face: climate change kills.” 

 Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP, former Minister of State for Energy and Research Director at PPP said: 

 “National governments must deal with the climate crisis with the same urgency and effectiveness seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Proactive and effective actions must become the ordinary ones when tackling climate change. By taking actions on climate, such as switching to clean energy, we are also protecting people’s health. Climate change and health are two sides of the same coin.” 

Elaine Mulcahy, Director, UK Health Alliance on Climate Change said: 

 "The recent IPCC report warned of the grave threat of climate change to human wellbeing and planetary health. Already, many of the health impacts of climate change are being felt causing thousands of deaths every year with overlapping challenges of increased exposure to heatwaves and heat-related mortality, increased risk of food, water and vector borne diseases, increased mental health challenges, and the devastating consequences of air pollution. We need to move quickly to address these challenges to protect health, while also realising the significant potential health benefits that can be achieved through the actions we take."