Significant developments in climate health policy at global, national and state levels are reported below. Alison Barrett also puts some questions to the Australian Government.
Alison Barrett writes:
The World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health has missed a key opportunity to put the impacts of fossil fuels “in the minds and policies of governments around the world”, according to the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA).
The Global Action Plan – adopted by a vote of 109-0 at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva last week – does not address or even mention fossil fuels.
Responding on LinkedIn to this omission, Associate Professor Zerina Lokmic-Tomkins said: “How can we address the problem when we can’t even name it?”
Lokmic-Tomkins, a leading researcher in climate adaptation strategies at Monash University, said this also raised concerns for policies created at future Conference of Parties (COP) meetings.
“When countries with significant fossil fuel interests host these events and endorse climate-health commitments while continuing fossil fuel expansion, the credibility and effectiveness of the outcomes are challenged,” she said.
According to Health Policy Watch, while the plan was approved without formal opposition, 19 countries – including Saudi Arabia and other fossil-fuel rich WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region members – abstained from voting “rather than be counted amongst the plan’s opponents”.
Rosie Tasker, Clean Air Liaison at GCHA said the adoption of the Global Action Plan was an “important milestone” and “marks the start of a new phase where governments and WHO are committing to accelerated action on climate and health”.
Tasker called on governments to recognise and respond to the “profound role” that climate change and fossil fuels play on the health of people around the world.
“Without action to mitigate climate change through reduction of fossil fuel use, the health impacts of climate change will soon outstrip the capacities of health systems to respond,” she said.
Expanding fossil fuels
In recent weeks, the Federal Government has approved the extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project up to 2070, NSW Government has approved the extension of Tahmoor Colliery mining operations by 14 months to 31 December 2033, and the Queensland Government has opened up nine new areas for gas exploration.
And many other fossil fuel projects are in the pipeline.
Arthur Wyns, Climate and Health Adviser, and Research Fellow at Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, said on LinkedIn that these decisions are “devastating”.
He added “we are seeing a worrying trend with host countries using climate COPs as a mirage: a distraction to expand fossil fuel production, roll back environmental protections, while saving their image and controlling public narratives by putting on environmental conferences and securing a few flashy media moments”.
On the WHO’s Global Action Plan on Climate and Health, Wyns said it “provides a clear to-do list to countries and finance partners, and will ensure future World Health Assemblies will play a more prominent role in sharing progress and best practices on climate and health”.
Meanwhile, SA Health and NSW Health last week both released their plans for low carbon, climate resilient health systems.
Professor Nicola Spurrier, South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer, said the “SA Health Climate Framework lays the foundation for a net-zero emissions, climate-resilient health system that can anticipate, respond to and recover from climate-related challenges while improving the overall health of our population”.
It comes as South Australia’s Labor Government committed $8.3 million in its state budget this week for early works for the event, including significant planning for security, transport and infrastructure, should Australia succeed in its bid to host COP31 in November 2026.
Co-benefits
Key strengths of the Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health, according to the GCHA, include a call for WHO Member States to integrate health into Nationally Determined Contributions and integrate climate into national health strategies, policies and plans.
The Alliance also notes the strong focus on maximising the health co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation across different government sectors and a commitment to engage communities and civil society organisations in the development, implementation and evaluation of climate and health strategies.
Following the World Health Assembly, Dr Sandro Demaio, Director and Head of the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health, said that co-benefits were one of the key themes across World Health Assembly discussions.
This included discussions about co-benefits of addressing extreme heat, food systems and intergenerational action, Demaio said.
“Whether it’s how tackling extreme heat can also promote gender equity and economic stability, how transforming food systems improves both planetary and personal health, or how intergenerational collaboration creates smarter, fairer solutions – the message is clear,” he said. “Health is never just about health.”
Raising awareness
The three action areas of WHO’s Plan on Climate Change and Health – leadership, coordination and advocacy; evidence and monitoring; and country-level action and capacity-building – include global targets, objectives and proposed actions for Member States, the WHO Secretariat and other stakeholders.
Equity, human rights, and traditional and Indigenous knowledges are some of the recognised principles to be considered in implementing the Global Action Plan.
Notably, one of the proposed actions for Member States is to promote awareness among the public and health community on the health impacts of climate change and the impact of healthcare delivery on climate change.
Dr Kate Wylie, a GP in Adelaide and Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia, highlighted at a recent #CroakeyLIVE a lack of awareness in the health sector about the link between climate change and health.
“Health is the biggest employer in the country,” said Wylie. “If the health workforce understood that climate change is a health issue, it would change the narrative overnight.
“And so, DEA would like to see every health practitioner – be they a doctor, nurse, allied health, or an orderly, anybody that works in the healthcare system – educated on climate and health.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing told Croakey that it is “working to promote the health co-benefits of emissions reductions across society, in line with the Australian Government’s legislated target of net zero emissions by 2050”.
Improving health workforce awareness on sustainability and climate resilience practices is a strong focus of SA Health’s Climate Change and Health Framework, with recommendations including:
- Provide health workforce training and an understanding of the impact of climate change on health and health service delivery, and preparing, responding and recovering from extreme weather-related emergencies
- Training to ensure staff are educated in, and can contribute to, local sustainability initiatives
- Deliver education and support information sharing on the impact of the health system through carbon emissions, and mitigation actions that can be undertaken in the workplace.
It also recommends increasing virtual learning and upskilling opportunities for employees in regional areas.
Importantly, the SA Health framework emphasises “co-benefits of a reduction in fossil fuel use, including positive impacts on health from reduction in pollution”.
Principles underpinning development of the Framework’s vision, mission, priorities and objectives include an acknowledgement of the urgent action needed across all SA Health operations, and a First Nations’ focus to understand impacts, centre and learn from existing cultural knowledge.
Similarly, the NSW Health Net Zero Roadmap 2025-2030 says it is “grounded by deep Aboriginal knowledge about caring for Country and working in partnership with Aboriginal colleagues and communities on climate and health policy” and informed by principles of health equity, evidence-informed and partnerships.
The Roadmap outlines six strategic priorities to achieve a high quality, low carbon, climate resilient healthcare system:
- Transitioning to modern, high quality, low carbon models of care for our patients, guided by principles of sustainable healthcare
- Supporting healthy people and places by decarbonising the design, construction, use and disposal of our buildings; and being stewards of our land and waters
- Improving air quality and health by using our natural resources (energy and water) in sustainable ways, including transitioning to clean renewable energy
- Reducing the environmental and financial costs of our supply chains, including the way we purchase goods and services, engage with our suppliers and drive circularity
- Improving air quality and health by reducing emissions from staff, patient and visitor travel including transition to active transport and electrifying fleet
- Sustainable sourcing, production and provision of high quality, healthy food for patient healing and wellbeing, whilst minimising food waste.
Related reading
- As our planet heats, politicians are leaving climate and health out in the cold, by Professor Nick Talley and Dr Kate Wylie
- Health workers urged to break the election silence on climate and health, by Jason Staines
- As Australia fuels global climate crisis, the health of rural communities is at risk, by Susanne Tegen
- Australia’s latest emissions data reveal we still have a giant fossil fuel problem, by Emma Lovell and Jessica Allen in The Conversation
Government responds
A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing provided the following responses to our questions:
1. Will Minister Mark Butler personally take responsibility for the National Health and Climate Strategy, as per this recent call by the Climate and Health Alliance? Or will the strategy be part of the Assistant Minister Rebecca White’s responsibility?
As Minister for Health and senior portfolio minister, Minister Butler is responsible for all policies in the portfolio. The interim Australian Centre for Disease Control, operating within the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, will continue to coordinate the whole-of-government effort to implement the National Health and Climate Strategy under the direction of relevant Ministers.
2. Dr Kate Wylie from the Doctors for the Environment Australia says that climate health initiatives receive less than one ten-thousandth of a percent of the federal health budget, although the World Health Organization has described climate change as “the greatest threat to public health in the 21st Century”. What are you doing to increase funding to climate health initiatives, and what would you regard as an appropriate level of investment by your Department?
The Australian Government committed $3.4 million over 4 years from 2022–23 (and $0.7 million per year ongoing) to develop a National Health and Climate Strategy and establish a National Health, Sustainability and Climate (NHSC) Unit. Since then, the interim Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has further supplemented the Unit’s funding.
The Government, through the $620 million Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, has also provided $2.5 million of funding from 2024-27 for the Pacific Climate and Health Resilience Package, which is being administered by the NHSC Unit. Where additional funding may be required, relevant proposals will be subject to the Government’s normal consideration and fiscal decision-making processes.
3. What is your response to former Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly’s recent call for more investment in the National Health and Climate Strategy and his statement that “it is time for climate to be central to Australia’s health policy” and that the climate emergency is “surely the biggest public health challenge of our time”?
The National Health and Climate Strategy acknowledges the significant impacts of climate change on human health and wellbeing, and the Australian Government is committed to addressing climate change as a national health priority.
4. Given that the Government invests in public health education campaigns about many public health challenges, why has the Government never done such a public campaign about the health impacts of fossil fuels?
The National Health and Climate Strategy acknowledges that fossil fuel combustion causes climate change and harms to human health, and identifies a series of actions to decarbonise the Australian health system which will by necessity involve a reduction in fossil fuel use in this area of the economy. We are also working to promote the health co-benefits of emissions reductions across society, in line with the Australian Government’s legislated target of net zero emissions by 2050.
5. Will the Government invest in educating the entire health workforce and general public about the health impacts of climate change, as per the recommendation in the newly adopted World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health?
The National Health and Climate Strategy includes commitments to educate and mobilise the health workforce, and to develop guidance for the public, on the health impacts of climate change. Work to progress these commitments is already underway, including via the Health College Working Group on Climate Change and Health. For further information, see the National Health and Climate Strategy 2024 Implementation Progress Report.
6. How will the Department of Health and Ageing facilitate and enable a Health in all Policies approach to climate and health, ensuring that climate is considered in all policy decision-making, as per the Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health?
Governance structures have been established to facilitate and enable a Health in All Policies approach to implementation of the National Health and Climate Strategy and ongoing development of climate change and health policy. More detail about these governance structures can be found in the National Health and Climate Strategy Implementation Plan published on the Department’s website.
See Croakey’s archive of articles on health in all policies
