"The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis," Says WHO

"The climate crisis is a health crisis," said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, lamenting that health is not a formal negotiation topic during UN climate conferences (COP).

"The climate crisis is a health crisis," declared WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference in Geneva.

"It is high time that health becomes a subject of formal negotiations, and we hope this will be the case at COP31 next year," added Rudiger Krech, the WHO's environment and climate change chief.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attended COP30, which is currently taking place in Belém, Brazil.

Health has been the subject of "numerous discussions at COP," but "no formal negotiation framework on health has yet been established," Mr. Krech clarified.

"Health is the most compelling area for climate action, but for too long, it has been just a footnote in climate negotiations," argued Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.

"It is much easier to convince people of the urgency to protect their own health or that of their children than to protect glaciers or ecosystems. Both are important; one is much closer to us," he added.

Brazil is set to announce a health-focused climate adaptation plan on Thursday, which will be Health Day at COP30, according to the WHO Director-General. This plan includes measures to help countries prepare their health systems and respond to health impacts, he specified.