Summary of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11-22 November 2024
Climate and Health in Focus: Major Developments from COP29
De Hari Krishna Nibanupudi
The 2024 Lancet Countdown report warned of escalating climate-related health threats, with 10 of 15 tracked indicators hitting record levels (The Lancet, 2024). According to the report, in 2023, people endured 50 extra days of dangerous heat annually, while nearly half the world faced severe drought, heightening food insecurity for 151 million more people. Global temperatures reached 1.45°C above pre-industrial levels, nearing the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C limit. Despite clean energy solutions, continued fossil fuel investments worsen health risks. The report urged immediate action to redirect funds towards sustainable solutions and emphasized the need for a rapid, equitable transition to net-zero emissions to protect lives and livelihoods. In this background, all eyes were on the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11-22 November 2024. Delegates, officials, and health professionals gathered at health pavilion, special events and negotiation sessions to discuss climate change's serious health consequences and plan coordinated responses.
High level event: At COP29, a high-level "COP Presidencies bringing Health at the Centre of Climate Agenda", hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) alongside the COP29 Presidency, emphasizing the need to integrate health considerations into climate action plans and translate past pledges into concrete actions; this event also saw the establishment of the "Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health" to further this goal.
Special Events and Sessions: The COP29 Health Pavilion was a hub for health-related events, with 41 sessions organised by more than 90 international partners. Most of these events entailed intersectoral collaboration, emphasising the complexities of climate-related health concerns. Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), a collaborative initiative involving multiple stakeholders, conducted six specialised workshops and an evening reception, highlighting the importance of such initiatives in addressing climate-related health concerns.
Reports Launched: The conference's centrepiece was the release of the COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health: Health is the Argument for Climate Action (WHO, 2024). This comprehensive report, developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with over 100 organisations and 300 experts, identifies key policies across three interconnected dimensions: people, place, and planet. It underscored the crucial role of the health sector in climate action and advocates for policies that address climate change while improving public health outcomes.
The WHO report underscored the crucial role of the health sector in climate action and advocates for policies that address climate change while improving public health outcomes.
Source: WHO COP29 special report on climate change and health: Health is the argument for climate action
COP29 in Baku underscored the critical importance of implementing comprehensive, health-centred climate policies. These policies are not just about protecting vulnerable populations, but about creating global health resilience in the face of the increasingly severe and frequent climate challenges we are facing.
Road to COP 30: With the global population of older people expected to exceed 1.5 billion by 2050, the need to address their vulnerability to climate change cannot be stressed. COP30 in Brazil must prioritise specific steps to reduce the disproportionate impact of climate-induced extremes on older people, such as heatwaves, floods, and food insecurity. Policies should incorporate specialised adaptation and mitigation techniques, such as early warning systems, accessible healthcare, and social safety nets, to ensure no one falls behind. COP30, building on the enthusiasm of COP29, provides an important opportunity to support inclusive climate resilience for the world's rapidly rising elder demographic.
COP29 in Baku underscored the critical importance of implementing comprehensive, health-centred climate policies. These policies are not just about protecting vulnerable populations, but about creating global health resilience in the face of the increasingly severe and frequent climate challenges we are facing.
