WBCSD releases business summary of WHO’s landmark report on climate change and health, highlighting opportunities for private sector action
Geneva, 31 October: WBCSD has today launched a business summary of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health – The Health Argument for Climate Action.
Originally published on 11 October 2021, with a view to informing discussions at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change being held in Glasgow, this flagship report by WHO was drafted in consultation with over 150 organizations and 400 experts and health professionals, and draws attention to the urgency of the deeply intertwined climate and health crises.
WBCSD’s business summary highlights the main findings emerging from the report and places them in the context of business action. It also highlights how these findings interact with WBCSD’s ongoing work around articulating a compelling narrative on the role of business in supporting health and wellbeing as part of the organization’s Healthy People, Healthy Business project.
The WHO report stresses that, while scientific evidence increasingly points to the link between rises is morbidity and mortality and climate change, very few countries currently have health adaptation plans in place and climate funds are rarely channeled towards health projects, despite the co-benefits this could bring.
Against this backdrop, WHO is calling on governments, policymakers and the health community to take immediate action by adopting ten key recommendations, each supported by a series of action points and case studies to help guide their implementation.
While the report does not directly address business, it does provide important and timely inspiration for the global business community and helps to identify key opportunities for private sector action to help strengthen the health of people everywhere in the face of the climate emergency.
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