COP26 Health Programme

Overview

Climate change is resulting in poorer health outcomes, increasing mortality and is a driver of health inequities. However, health is well placed to be a significant part of the solution; the positive health impacts from stronger climate change action can motivate stronger global ambition; health systems which are resilient to climate change can help protect their populations from the negative impacts (in the short and longer terms); and sustainable low carbon health systems can make a substantial contribution to reducing national and global emissions.

Health has been chosen as a COP26 science priority area. The COP26 Health Programme has been established to bring stronger health focus and ambition to COP26. The key health priorities for COP26 include:

1. Building climate resilient health systems;
2. Developing low carbon sustainable health systems;
3. Adaptation Research for Health;
4. The inclusion of health priorities in Nationally Determined Contributions,
5. Raising the voice of health professionals as advocates for stronger ambition on climate change

This briefing document sets out the two first health priorities for COP26, and expands on the ways in which countries can state their ambition to develop climate resilient and sustainable health systems.