Climate action to protect and promote health: sharing knowledge among regions to focus on solutions

Climate change adversely affects human health worldwide through multiple direct and indirect pathways. Responding to these effects requires connected strategies for mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation (adjusting to what cannot be avoided).

'Climate action to protect and promote health: sharing knowledge among regions to focus on solutions', an official side event at the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference 2021, was jointly organised by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), the UK Royal Society and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), the global network of academies of science, engineering and medicine, together with regional networks in Africa (NASAC), Asia (AASSA), the Americas (IANAS) and Europe (EASAC). Its aim was to share knowledge on similarities and differences between and within regions for climate effects on health, and discuss options for adaptation and mitigation, strengthening health systems, and informing science-policy interfaces.

The side event took place on 10 November 2021 at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, UK; the recording in now available on YouTube:

and here you can find some Tweets about it:

We are at @COP26, follow our side event 'Climate action to protect and promote health: sharing knowledge among regions to focus on solutions' live here https://t.co/J65z4dPuGB#HealthyCOP26#COP26 pic.twitter.com/HHVYb8UzUI

— InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) 🌍 #science #health (@IAPartnership) November 10, 2021

"Climate change adversely affects human health worldwide through multiple direct and indirect pathways," explains @royalsociety's Andy Haines at #COP26

👉https://t.co/J65z4dPuGB pic.twitter.com/VsUmDAblVJ

— InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) 🌍 #science #health (@IAPartnership) November 10, 2021

"Nature-Based Solutions can provide over one-third of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilise warming to below 2°C," he adds#HealthyCOP26#COP26 pic.twitter.com/jLw2H4sicG

— InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) 🌍 #science #health (@IAPartnership) November 10, 2021

#COP26

Talking health #cobenefits of #ClimateAction through better diet - and adding eight months to average life expectancy @IAPartnership pic.twitter.com/vnmAH8C6hH

— Natalie Bennett (@natalieben) November 10, 2021

"#ClimateChange is impacting health NOW in the Americas," warns @IANA's @Sherilee_H at #COP26 #HealthyCOP26 pic.twitter.com/olahXwX7G6

— InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) 🌍 #science #health (@IAPartnership) November 10, 2021

The @IAPartnership Americas authorship group concluded that the #ClimateCrisis requires emergency responses - not endless discussions and little action. This is a #HealthCrisis and requires a just response focused on protecting health #COP26 @RCPhysicians pic.twitter.com/lSY14Ks6xe

— (((Toby Hillman))) (@tobyhillman) November 10, 2021

To learn more about this issue, follow the IAP project on Climate Change and Health, and check this article on the EASAC website.