Sustainable Health for People and Planet

The devastating consequences of climate change, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and pollution have never been more severe for health than today. Heat, epidemics, food insecurity, water scarcity, natural disasters that are increasing in intensity, frequency, and duration are major challenges that threaten health and well-being at a global scale, while health systems around the world remain unprepared.

Despite its potential, a health-focused framing in current climate discussions is exceedingly rare. In order to move forward different United Nation agencies and cross-sectoral stakeholders have to jointly address ongoing and emerging crosscutting issues, taking into account the interactions between climate change, biodiversity loss and health at all stages of the negotiation process. Creating a common narrative and vision from the various silos of "Planetary Health," "One Health," and "Climate Change and Health" must be on the agenda to join forces and powerfully bring out the best for global health in the ongoing political discussions by establishing a global health lens.

The strengthening of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) (established at COP26) and the World Health Organization Health Pavilion at COP27 is urgently needed, and concepts like Planetary Health and One Health have to be included in international collaborative mitigation and adaptation strategies. Only reshaping the governance and the economics of global climate and health policy while putting a focus on an equity-based approach will pave the way for a healthy green transformation worldwide. Next steps will have to include the construction of climate-resilient and sustainable low carbon health systems that consider the health sector as a guide in shaping an effective response to environmental health challenges.