Tackling the Politics of Intersectoral Action for the Health of People and Planet
Human activities are wreaking extensive damage on the natural systems of the planet and undermining the prospects for the health of current and future populations. The 2021 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provided further evidence of the increasing urgency of responding to the threats posed by climate change—which the UN secretary general labelled “a code red for humanity.”
The UN climate conference in Glasgow (COP26) laid bare the highly political nature of international cooperation on climate change, and the futility of failing to recognise that the health and sustainability of the environment are the cornerstone of equitable development.34 The politics inherent in intersectoral action on climate and health may be less visible than COP26 but must be addressed to deliver the goals of the Paris agreement.
Climate emergency imperative for intersectoral action
- Both adaptation and mitigation are required to reduce the health effects of climate change, but to be effective they must be transformational, targeting the political and economic systems that maintain the status quo
- Adaptation aims to manage the risks posed by environmental changes. Mitigation aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Increasingly adaptation and mitigation need to be integrated to minimise trade-offs and support equitable solutions. Both require actions across multiple sectors, including energy, housing, industry, transport, waste, water and sanitation, health, and agriculture, food, and land use
- Many of the actions also have benefits for health—for example, by reducing air pollution from burning fossil fuels, promoting physical activity through increases in active transport, and supporting healthy, low environmental impact dietary choices
- Well designed and implemented carbon pricing and subsidy removal can accelerate intersectoral action by redirecting resources to actions that improve health equity as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions
- Health indicators should be integrated into reporting of efforts to reduce emissions and build resilience to climate change as well as fostering planetary health more widely
