An Independent Commission chaired by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir is calling on the World Health Organisation to formally declare climate change a public health emergency of international concern.
The Commission was convened by WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge – and brings together 13 former heads of government, international bodies, ministers and civil society leaders from across the 53-country WHO European Region.
The current framework of the International Health Regulations – designed around time-bound epidemic events – was not built for a threat of this nature. That, the Commission argues, is precisely the problem. The rules have not kept pace with the scale of the crisis, and the absence of a formal emergency designation has allowed governments to treat climate change as a chronic background condition rather than an acute, escalating threat that is already evident.
17 recommendations
The Commission’s 17 recommendations span four domains: treating climate change as a growing threat to health security, transforming health systems, scaling up local action, and reforming the economic and financial systems that are driving the climate crisis. At their core is a challenge to both governments and to WHO: the rules, the money and the political priorities are all pointing in the wrong direction, and the time for incremental adjustment is over. These recommendations are a blueprint for governments willing to shift funding from actions that accelerate the climate crisis to preventing it, as far as possible.
“The climate crisis is a threat to our safety and security, social cohesion, human rights and health,” noted Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Chair of the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health. “Far from being a problem solely for future generations, it is a real and present threat to us right now in Europe. Climate action is not merely a necessity. It is a high-return investment for a more just and resilient society. We all have a political and moral responsibility to act now.”
Climate and health: national security issues
The Commission is calling on heads of government to bring climate and health onto the agenda of national security councils, engaging all relevant ministries including defence, energy and finance. As European governments are currently redirecting public spending toward security in response to mounting geopolitical pressures, the Commission argues that climate change is itself a primary security risk; one that is already disrupting infrastructure, health systems and food and water security across the region, and one whose costs will compound with every year of delayed action.
The commission points out that air pollution from fossil fuel combustion kills hundreds of thousands of people across the region every year. The same fossil fuels driving the climate–health crisis are making energy systems vulnerable to supply shocks and price spikes; costs that fall hardest on those least able to pay them. The Commission argues that accelerating the transition to clean renewables and energy efficiency is not only a climate and health imperative; it is the route to greater energy security and a fairer economy.
“Climate change is a security threat, a health emergency and an economic time bomb, all rolled into one,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “Meanwhile, governments are spending billions subsidizing the fuels that cause climate change and burden our health systems. This Commission is telling leaders clearly: act now, while a window of preventive action still exists.”
Transforming health systems
The Commission makes specific recommendations to improve the climate resilience of health systems and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It argues for the mandatory training of health professionals in climate change and health, greater emphasis on mental health in climate-health planning, and for integration of key climate indicators into national health system performance assessments. As most greenhouse gas emissions from health care come from supply chains, the Commission argues for climate-friendly procurement standards across the region to send a consistent demand signal to suppliers.
Caption: Commmission chair Katrín Jakobsdóttir former Prime Minister of Iceland (second from left) and Hans P. KlugeWHO Regional Director for Europe (second from right). Photo: WHO
