Conference - Health Impacts of Climate Change - Advancing EU Policy Agenda

A conference hosted by ENBEL on 19 September 2023 in Brussels, called ‘Health Impacts of Climate Change — Advancing the European Adaptation Agenda to 2030’ — shows words, not action, that result from underfunding for health and climate change. Policymakers are not serious about the health implications of climate change adaptation. Of US$ 29 billion in global adaptation funding from 2009–2019, a mere 0.2% supported projects with explicit health objectives.

The conference and the organisation ENBEL unite over 90 stakeholders across Europe, Africa and beyond. The conference discussed the health impacts of climate change and identified actions needed to build resilience. In her opening remarks, conference moderator Anne Stauffer emphasised the urgent need to prioritise health in all climate efforts for mitigation and adaptation.

Scientific evidence from the World Health Organization indicates that climate change is already undermining global health. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, air pollution, and other climate hazards disproportionately affect vulnerable groups. Researcher Alexandra Schneider highlighted that current health future assumptions are overly optimistic and climate change is already affecting health. Schneider said, “Climate change is already affecting health, and when we do a lot of this modelling, we use health future assumptions that are very optimistic, and essentially, they’re going to be wrong.”

Colin O’Hehir, Head of the Climate Change Unit, Department of Health in Ireland, talked about tackling health adaptation challenges at an institutional level and stressed the urgent need for collaboration and unity across various governmental sectors. He remarked, “The cross-sectoral piece is probably the most important one,” urging for strategies that embrace health perspectives to significantly enhance air quality and facilitate a shift towards more sustainable modes of transport. This endeavour, he believed, would not only fortify the health sector’s resilience but also augment climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, working towards the mutual goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and, thus, safeguarding the health and well-being of the community from the potential adverse impacts of climate change.

Grace Turner from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine discussed findings from multiple ENBEL projects. She noted climate change poses “major risks to health through increased heatwaves, spread of infectious diseases, air pollution, effects on food and water security, and disasters.” She emphasised the need for “evidence-based strategies to address inequalities, and it’s clear that when you put in a policy, and you don’t take inequalities into account, you will increase those inequalities.”

Moderator Anne Stauffer introduced the first panel discussion, ‘Tackling the health impacts of climate change: which EU action is needed?’. She welcomed panellists Aleksandra Kazmierczak from the European Environment Agency (EEA), Miriam Weber from WHO Healthy Cities Network/Utrecht, and Lucas Demuelenaere from the City of Brussels-Capital Region.

When asked what stood out from the morning’s discussions, Kazmierczak noted “how privileged we are to live in Europe” but that “no place in Europe is really immune.” She also highlighted the need for greater integration of health “In every sector.”

Weber emphasised the importance of “intersectoral work” and “breaking down silos.” From a city perspective, she said, “We [are] often trying to sit at the same table as where decisions are made.”

Demuelenaere stressed that in Brussels, “extreme events are also happening in the city” and that cities are “both very responsible for the emissions by the way we live, by the way we move, by the way we consume, by the way we eat.” He called for communicating risks to all citizens. When asked what is needed from the EU, Demuelenaere said he was “happy to be here today to discuss about this with you because I think it’s not enough talked about.” Kazmierczak advocated “a discussion around the next commission…around these two big topics of EU actions and priorities.”

Red Cross researcher Tilly Alcayna presented findings from a study on climate finance flows for adaptation. She found that of $29 billion in global adaptation funding from 2009–2019, only 1.4 billion, or 4.9%, went to health-related activities. Of that, a mere 0.2% supported projects with explicit health objectives. Alcayna recommended “more adaptation finance, which is fulfilling and going well beyond obligations…and much more needs to be targeting the health sector.”

Cities shared their approaches to integrating health into local policies and programs. For example, Utrecht implemented a “health in all” policy approach through interdisciplinary teams and long-term visions addressing various issues. Brussels developed an air quality monitoring app to engage citizens in discussions about necessary measures.

National representatives outlined the challenges and opportunities of health adaptation. They discussed recurring challenges, such as increased flooding and called for a coherent research agenda with adequate funding. The integration of health considerations into every sector was also emphasised.

Researchers emphasised the importance of continued evidence generation, evaluation, and stakeholder engagement in comprehensively addressing climate change’s health impacts. They also advocated expanding successful occupational health programs globally and forming a centre of excellence based on previous experiences.

Moderator Anne Stauffer introduced the second discussion about ‘addressing climate health vulnerability in Europe, Africa and beyond’. She welcomed panellists Chiara Martinelli, Director of Climate Action Network Europe, Mette Petersen, Director of the Red Cross EU Office, and Hans Stausboll, DG International Partnerships, European Commission (Africa — Acting Director).

In the second panel discussion, participants agreed that more funding, intersectoral collaboration, and community participation were crucial for effective adaptation. They also called for a discussion around EU actions and priorities for the upcoming term.

The panel discussed the health and climate nexus and the need to integrate health considerations into climate policies and actions. As one panellist noted, “This integration is challenging but important.”

Vulnerable groups and communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change, but their needs often need to be prioritised. Panellists stressed the importance of reaching the most vulnerable, engaging with them, and ensuring equitable access to healthcare.

Adaptation to the health impacts of climate change was a major topic. Panellists called for investing in local capacity and anticipatory action to strengthen community resilience. “We really need to focus on anticipating action.”

Financing was highlighted as a critical issue. One panellist said their main takeaway was “shifting the trillions from where we are creating all these problems with climate change towards investing in adaptation and mitigation and supporting the most vulnerable communities.”

When discussing upcoming climate summits, a panellist urged the EU to “show leadership for the year when it comes to adaptation” by increasing adaptation finance and operationalising the “Loss and Damage Fund”.

Summarising, the moderator Anne Stauffer emphasised the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation and breaking down silos, as this discussion demonstrated. “We spoke a lot about the need for cross-sectoral cooperation and breaking down silos.”

The discussion provided inspiration and strength from sharing different perspectives. “And for me, this morning was also very much a drawing strength and inspiration from you and each other.” The urgency of acting on climate change was stressed. “It keeps being urgent that we act on climate also when it comes to adaptation.”

Upcoming policy negotiations around clean air standards and nature protection were highlighted as opportunities. “Our conference has very much focused on the 2030 agenda,” Stauffer called for a stronger focus on health in the EU’s adaptation strategy and making health impact assessments mandatory.

In closing, Anne Stauffer thanked all the presenters and participants, saying, “Let’s keep going to really put health at the centre of climate change action.”

This article was originally published on Medium on 19 September 2023.

Writers note: The conference was live-streamed on YouTube, and there were occasional technical difficulties. If you participated in the event and wish to correct any errors in reporting, please get in touch with me @chrisnial on Twitter/X.