Act on Climate:
Our Lives Depend on It
A shared narrative to accelerate joint action on climate and health, shaped with insights and input from 50+ organizations
Narrative at-a-glance
The climate crisis is a health crisis, fueled by an untenable status quo. It is threatening our food, water, and air, worsening disease and extreme weather, and putting our physical, mental, and social well-being at risk.
While the threat of the climate crisis is universal, the speed and severity of the impacts are not. Those who did the least to cause this emergency are suffering the most, as climate shocks push already inequitable and fragile health systems past the breaking point.
The need to change course becomes more apparent by the day. If we take action right now, we can do more than avert catastrophe — we can seize the chance to achieve a better world. We have the resources, technology, and evidence needed to cultivate societies where every person enjoys good health, well-being, and shared prosperity, without harming our planet.
By joining forces for climate and health, we can decide the future we will live in. Together, we must:
Stop the crisis at the source: Rapidly and equitably phase out fossil fuels, starting with the largest polluters first, to prevent further heating, stop health threats from escalating unchecked, and reap immediate and local health benefits.
Build resilient systems and societies to safeguard health for all, once and for all: Adapt quickly to protect people’s physical, mental, and social health and well-being and create climate-safe futures for all.
Mobilize the resources the most affected communities need and deserve: Prioritize equity, justice, and local priorities across the climate response and ensure no country or community is left behind in the transition to healthy, sustainable, and affordable renewable energy, food, transportation, and livable cities.
Define success in terms of people’s health: Hold leaders accountable to a health-centered response to the climate crisis that protects the well-being and livelihoods of people everywhere.
A better world is possible — and we must all take part in demanding it. Those in positions of power must take swift and decisive actions, based on the best available evidence, the lived experience of frontline communities, and ongoing monitoring to course correct as we learn more. Principles of equity, justice, and human rights must remain our centers of gravity. The climate and health movement belongs to all of us — from the health workforce on the frontlines to national decision-makers, across every sector, geography, and cause.
Act on climate now. Our lives depend on it.
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About this narrative
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Align the growing climate and health movement around a shared vision of a society that can support the health and well-being of all people and operate in harmony with the environment.
Provide common language to facilitate crucial and productive conversations that drive solutions among all relevant climate and health stakeholders.
Speak cohesively, accessibly, and persuasively to decision-makers to increase urgency for action, communicate accountability for inaction, and drive home what is at stake.
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This document is primarily designed for individuals and organizations whose work already touches on climate, health, or both, who are interested in urging joint action. The hope is that the narrative provides useful shared framing language, calls to action, principles and more that can then be further customized to address particular issue areas, policy asks, or other priorities.
The secondary audience is the decision-makers that stakeholders across the climate and health movement are seeking to influence: from the leaders of our organizations up through national and international policy-makers.
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While this narrative is not specifically tied to COP28 negotiations, many partners identified a particular need to equip a growing number of climate and health actors to speak cohesively heading into COP28, which will have the first-ever Health Day on 3 December and a greater overall health focus than past years.
We intend to revisit this language with partners in early 2024 to collate and integrate lessons learned during COP28 about the most effective and resonant messaging.
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The concepts, ideas, and principles reflected within the narrative build on years of conversation and collaboration among people and organizations working at the intersection of climate change and health.
In the lead up to COP28, many in the space identified a need for a shared, big-picture narrative to support a growing number of interested organizations to speak clearly and cohesively about the need for joint climate and health action. To meet this need, the Global Climate & Health Alliance (GCHA) secretariat began drafting a framework in June 2023, building on previous efforts including the 2021 Healthy Climate Prescription, the WHO COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health, the 2021 Regional Consultations on Climate Change and Health, and the COP27 health community policy recommendations. After consulting GCHA members and close partners to revise the framework, GCHA worked closely with the Climate x Health Secretariat to create a cohesive draft and circulate it widely for review. Through workshops, surveys, and multiple drafts, the Climate x Health Secretariat facilitated and integrated feedback from 50+ organizations and the Climate x Health co-conveners to create the current version of the narrative.
We expect there will be future opportunities for consultation and revision as the challenges for climate and health continue to evolve, along with our opportunities to drive positive change.