Seventy-first Regional Committee for Europe: virtual session, 13–15 September 2021: technical briefing on elevating climate change in the health debate

W O RL D HE AL TH O R GAN I ZA T I ON RE GI ON AL O FF I CE FO R EU RO PE UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Telephone: +45 45 33 70 00 Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Email: eugovernance@who.int Web: http://www.euro.who.int/en/who-we-are/governance Regional Committee for Europe EUR/RC71/TB/2 71st session Virtual session, 13–15 September 2021 26 August 2021 210843 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Technical briefing on elevating climate change in the health debate Thursday, 16 September 2021, 09:00–10:30 CEST (virtual) Background 1. Climate change is undoubtedly the greatest challenge of the 21st century. Climate change impacts health directly, for example through extreme weather events (heat-related mortality, deaths and injuries from flooding, etc.), but also indirectly, through its effects on biodiversity, vector distribution, allergens, ecosystems, productive sectors (such as agriculture), and water and food supply. 2. Ill health and premature mortality related to climate variability and change incur significant economic costs to health systems and society, and these costs are expected to rise in the future. As changes accelerate faster than anticipated, urgent action at scale is necessary to limit health, environmental, socioeconomic and demographic impacts on vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalized populations. 3. Climate change needs to become an integral part of the health agenda. Health sector leadership in promoting climate action is essential, both in terms of strengthening the sector’s own preparedness for and adaptation to climate change, and in terms of advocating mitigation policies, which can deliver health co-benefits, such as those that address the emission of greenhouse gas and air pollutants. Leadership by the health sector also includes “walking the talk”, recognizing the sector’s own role as a significant source of emissions, striving for a green and low-carbon service economy and making investments that increase the sector’s resilience and adaptive capacity in relation to climate change. 4. The COVID-19 recovery efforts offer an opportunity to create a healthier and more sustainable future for all by flattening the climate curve. The WHO Manifesto for a Healthy Recovery from COVID-19 lays out a menu of prescriptions that lead to more climate-friendly, sustainable and healthy societies. 5. The 2019 WHO global strategy on health, environment and climate change provides a clear framework to address persisting and emerging environmental health risks, including climate change, while the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe” sets out a vision of how the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) can support national health authorities in creating safe and supportive EUR/RC71/TB/2 page 2 communities. The Declaration of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health identifies action on climate change and health as one of the key regional priorities for the environment and health agenda, and the Working Group on Health in Climate Change has been established as a platform to facilitate collaboration among Member States and stakeholders. Scope and purpose 6. This technical briefing aims to (i) inform participants at the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC71) about recent global and regional developments on climate change and health, with a special focus on the preparations for the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP 26 (Glasgow, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1–12 November 2021), and (ii) provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead. More specifically, it will focus on the following: • raising awareness of the significance of climate change impacts on human health, including linkages to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the WHO Manifesto for a Healthy Recovery from COVID-19; • informing Member States about the preparations for COP 26 and the outcomes of regional consultations with Member States’ health constituencies and other stakeholders to shape the health messaging for COP 26; • informing Member States about the synergies and co-benefits of tackling air pollution and climate change mitigation; • highlighting opportunities to strengthen the role of the health sector in tackling the climate change challenge, both in terms of adaptation and mitigation; and • reinforcing the commitment to create climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems as an essential component of achieving universal health coverage and the objectives of the Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019–2023, and the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025. 7. Participants will gain a better understanding of the significance of climate change as an integral part of the health agenda and the need for strong political commitment as well as action by the health sector to implement the Paris Agreement, including through active engagement in COP 26 to promote emissions reduction and to scale up commitments for adaptation action related to health. 8. Participants will also become familiar with the activities and offers of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bonn, Germany, part of the Division of Country Health Programmes, in supporting national efforts to mobilize a strong health response to climate change. Session outline 9. The session will be organized as an interactive virtual technical briefing, providing perspectives from the scientific and policy scene, followed by the sharing and discussing of experiences by Member States and stakeholders. EUR/RC71/TB/2 page 3 10. The programme for this briefing will be made available on WHO/Europe’s website, on the web page for RC71. 11. The expected outcomes of the session are an increased momentum towards promoting health in climate policies and solutions and mobilizing the health sector to advocate for and to lead by example in formulating higher ambitions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. = = =