Apolitical, a specialist training provider to governments, has made available a new climate negotiations and health online training resource. The course reflects the latest developments in multilateral discussions, acknowledging the growing recognition of climate change as “the greatest health threat facing humanity.”
Funded by Wellcome and produced by Apolitical, the course aims to foster an understanding of the links between climate change and health by identifying where and how to incorporate health into climate negotiations and policymaking to ensure people’s health is protected as the climate changes.
By the end of this course, participants are expected to be able to:
- Explain how climate change and health are connected, including how health is reflected in the UNFCCC process and how climate change and health are connected in different jurisdictions;
- Discuss existing initiatives for embedding health into the climate negotiations;
- Investigate specific entry points for embedding health in climate negotiations; and
- Identify practical steps that can be taken to make a difference within specific areas of influence.
The course will also offer participants an opportunity to join an online community of learners to help connect with others around the world who are working on similar issues.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change is impacting human health by threatening clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply, and safe shelter, jeopardizing decades of progress. Approximately 250,000 additional deaths are expected to occur annually from climate change-induced malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress, with the direct damage costs to health estimated at between USD 2 billion and 4 billion per year by 2030.
The World Bank describes climate change as “a global health emergency.” While its impacts affect everyone, the most vulnerable groups include women, children, older adults, displaced persons, people with pre-existing health conditions, and those living in poverty.
In its recent advisory opinion spelling out countries’ obligations with respect to climate change, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) linked climate change-related environmental degradation with human rights, “with health as an important consideration.” As one of the SDG Knowledge Hub’s guest authors recently highlighted, the ruling “has profound implications for health-based litigation moving forward” as “[h]ealth is no longer just a co-benefit of climate action [but] a core legal concern.” [Online Course: Embedding Health in Climate Negotiations]