EU Endorses the International Declaration on Climate and Health on COP28 Health Day

On Sunday, December 3, the Commission officially supported, on behalf of the EU, the international Declaration on Climate and Health. The support was expressed in the United Arab Emirates during COP28’s Health Day, which featured the first Ministerial Conference on Climate and Health, with the participation of Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President responsible for the European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight. Ministers discussed how policies and investments can address the burden that climate change imposes on health and health systems.
It is estimated that in the summer of 2022, 62,000 heat-related deaths were recorded in Europe. Moreover, rising temperatures bring new threats to our continent, such as mosquito-borne or water-borne diseases. To address this challenge, the Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) is investing €120 million to enhance the availability of medical countermeasures for vector-borne diseases.
The Declaration on Climate and Health is a voluntary international call to action aimed at addressing the negative impacts of climate change on human health. The signatories of the Declaration commit to working towards more climate-resilient, sustainable, low-carbon health systems and to making greater efforts to protect the most vulnerable populations affected by the climate crisis.
The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an important international Summit where global leaders, environmental experts, activists, and stakeholders meet to discuss and negotiate actions to combat climate change. The Commission participates in the COP annually and organizes various side events addressing various climate-related issues. In 2023, it was hosted from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Source: European Commission – Europa.eu