On 29 July 2025 in Brasília, the Government of Brazil, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), opened the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health. The event, held just months ahead of COP30 this November, marked the first time a future UNFCCC COP Presidency has led the global health and climate summit. It was a powerful signal of intent.
As the COP30 host and this year’s convenor of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), Brazil is placing health at the centre of climate diplomacy. This marks a bold redefinition of COP leadership, grounded in principles of justice, equity, and multilateralism. While geopolitical resistance continues to challenge progress, a growing coalition of countries is not only stepping up but actively reshaping the global agenda.
Japan and Senegal, which joined ATACH at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in May 2025, are forging critical Asia-Africa alignment on resilient health systems. Portugal and Switzerland are advancing the integration of climate and health into global financing discussions. Meanwhile, following the United Kingdom’s lead at COP26, countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Bangladesh have committed to developing net-zero health systems, reinforcing leadership in decarbonising healthcare and supporting implementation partnerships globally.
At the recent UN Financing for Development Forum (FF4D) , United Nations Member States emphasised the need for new, targeted funding for climate and health priorities, including early warning systems, clean infrastructure, and locally driven adaptation. At WHA77, they adopted a resolution committing countries to integrate climate risks into health systems, with emphasis on equity, sustainability, and cross-sectoral collaboration.
The new COP30 Action Plan for Climate and Health: a start, but a narrowly defined one
At the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health participants co-developed the forthcoming Belém Health Action Plan, set to launch on COP30 Health Day (13 November 2025).
While the plan represents an important milestone, outlining strategies to reduce health systems emissions which could enhance resilience and advance health equity, it focuses primarily on “climate and health” as “climate and the healthcare sector”. This approach risks overlooking the broader social conditions, economic structures and political drivers of both climate change and health inequities, including the critical role of heavy fossil fuel dependence. Instead, the Plan relies on an Ecomodernist innovation paradigm to drive ‘responsible’ consumption, whichoffers valuable pathways forward but would benefit from greater attention to structural transformations needed to address health‑harming, carbon‑intensive systems. Recognizing these dimensions is crucial to position health not only as a climate adaptation issue but also as a driver of mitigation.Notwithstanding, the Plan is designed as a strategic roadmap to guide countries in reducing health system emissions, enhancing resilience, and advancing health equity. Building on the momentum of the Belém Plan, the next step is to integrate these broader considerations into climate diplomacy and multilateral discussions.
Key outcomes of the Global Conference included clearly defined country-level responsibilities to support implementation and accountability under the WHO CDN Action Plan (2024–2026); the launch of evidence syntheses emphasising social participation and inclusion of global majority populations, indigenous, and traditional communities in climate-health processes; and stronger cross-sector coordination to center health in climate policy. This Global Workplan is supported by task teams addressing sustainable procurement, climate-health financing, low-carbon supply chains, nutrition integration, and resilient health facility design.
This progress is particularly notable as there’s growing political resistance. Many HICs, despite their global influence, have shown inconsistent leadership in supporting climate and health financing targets, and have resisted stronger integration of health equity frameworks in international negotiations. Nonetheless, civil society and the broader international community are refusing to stand still!
From Brasília to COP30!
The choice to host this year’s conference in Brasília, and the COP in Belém (in the Amazon region) was both symbolic and strategic. The Amazon is a crucial climate stabiliser and home to over 30 million people, including many Indigenous and traditional communities. Brazil’s leadership exemplifies how countries can link health equity, environmental protection, and inclusive governance in meaningful ways.
The months leading up to COP30 will be pivotal. With the Belém Health Action Plan nearing completion, the ICJ’s legal opinion reinforcing state obligations, and new alliances forming under ATACH, the global climate and health movement is entering a new era. Amid uneven progress and growing resistance, the Brasília conference stands as a milestone. With a clear sign that governments across regions and income levels are determined to elevate health as a central pillar of climate ambition, a consideration that should be at the forefront of discussions at COP30 and beyond.
Week of Global Milestones
The Brasília conference capped a week of critical global developments further linking climate justice and multilateral commitments to health. Most notably, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a historic advisory opinion on the 23rd of July, affirming that states have a legal duty under both climate treaties and customary international law to protect the right to health in the context of climate change. This first-of-its-kind legal framing anchors the health and climate nexus in international human rights law. It points out that a failure to take policies that address the industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions may constitute an unlawful act of a State. It defines that sustainable development, intergenerational equity, and a precautionary approach, are all legitimate principles around which UN Member States can develop their climate change policies. It also strengthens the moral and diplomatic basis for knowledge sharing, multisectoral collaboration, and the integration of health equity into global climate action.