Opening remarks by WHO Director-General on the occasion of the Race to Zero Dialogue on Climate Change and Health on November 9th, 2020.
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
It is my pleasure to open this series of dialogues on climate change and health.
The COVID-19 pandemic has jarred the world’s health systems, societies and economies.
In many ways, this is a wake-up call for potentially even greater threats, especially those posed by climate change.
Earlier this year, WHO released a manifesto for a healthy and green recovery from COVID-19, calling on governments to protect nature, support clean energy sources, sustainable food systems and healthier cities, and reduce polluting activities.
We have already seen promising results where governments have adopted these prescriptions: more accessible urban spaces, with cleaner air; more resilient food systems; and healthier lives.
Our manifesto highlights that investments that help to prevent disease, protect health, and mitigate climate change will also contribute to the much-needed economic and social recovery from the pandemic.
Unfortunately, much of the world has already fallen back to the old ways of doing things. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, G20 governments have committed more than 200 billion US dollars to polluting fossil fuel energy sources.
By the end of this year, countries are due to submit their new commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement, in advance of the 2021 UN Climate Conference in the UK.
These are the commitments that we make to protect the planet, and its people. They are the promises against which our children will judge us.
The leaders of island nations and other vulnerable countries have been very clear: the decisions we make this year will determine whether their children will still have a place they can call home.
To win this race, we need everyone on board. And the health community has a key role to play.
As part of their commitment to ‘do no harm’, leading health institutions are also beginning to rapidly decarbonise their services.
Just last month, the single largest health system in the world, the National Health Service of England, adopted a detailed plan to become the first national health system to reach net zero carbon emissions.
I would like to thank the High-Level Climate Champions for convening these two weeks of dialogues, and for inviting the health community to be part of these collective efforts towards a zero-emission-world.
I hope we can share many more success stories with you today, and in the two weeks to come, as we collectively race towards a healthy recovery.
I thank you.