October 26, 2025

Commentary by WHS CEO Carsten Schicker

The UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém unfolded against a backdrop of profound geopolitical tensions, resulting in a summit where expectations for major breakthroughs were low. For the first time in COP history, the United States did not participate, while China did not take up global climate leadership to fill the void. These dynamics highlighted the fragility of multilateral cooperation at a moment when unified climate action is urgently needed.

Despite these limitations, negotiators managed to agree on a set of incremental steps forward, including:

• A commitment to mobilize USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action.

• Plans to double adaptation finance by 2025 and triple it by 2035.

• Technical progress on tools, indicators, and reporting processes to operationalize commitments.

These steps mark progress but fall short of the transformational change required to keep global warming in check and protect the lives and health of populations worldwide.

What does COP30 mean for health globally?

Even within this constrained political environment, COP30 delivered some meaningful but limited advances for the health agenda.

For the first time, the COP outcome text explicitly acknowledged the direct health benefits of reducing emissions, signaling a long-overdue recognition that climate action is fundamentally about protecting lives, preventing disease, and ensuring health and well-being.

Health also gained visibility through the Belém Health Action Plan put forward by the host country Brazil, a voluntary package promoting best practices for climate-resilient health systems. However, the plan was endorsed by only about 10% of countries - far too few to signal real global momentum - and it received no dedicated financing, leaving implementation uncertain, especially in low- and middle-income countries where health systems are already overstretched.

Overall, COP30 raised the profile of health within climate negotiations, but concrete progress remains insufficient.

Limited progress amid growing health risks

COP30 was intended to be an “implementation COP”: the moment the world would shift from commitment to action to safeguard the 1.5°C Paris goal. Instead, it delivered steps but not strides. The incremental gains on finance, adaptation, and the visibility of health are

welcome, but they do not match the scale of the climate crisis and its existential implications.

For health, the direction is positive, yet the pace remains far too slow. More mitigation action - critical for limiting warming and preventing severe health impacts - is needed. Without accelerated emissions reductions and robust financing, the world will not be able to protect communities already facing mounting climate-related health risks.

This responsibility extends to all sectors, including the private sector. Action cannot wait for the political momentum to catch up. Advancing climate and health solutions is not only a moral imperative; it is also a matter of clear economic logic. Investments in climate action often deliver strong returns, and the same is true for investments in health. When public and private actors align both priorities, they generate “double dividends” protecting people while strengthening resilience, stability, and long-term economic value.

The World Health Summit, committed to advancing health for all and placing climate change high on the global health agenda, will continue to push for stronger, health-centered climate action and mobilize leaders across sectors to ensure health remains at the heart of climate policy.

Photo Credit: COP30