The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC) published a report examining how national climate policy frameworks are reflecting health-related losses and impacts. The analysis reveals a growing recognition of health, particularly in adaptation-focused planning documents.

Titled, ‘Loss and Damage Beyond Economics: Exploring Health as a Non-economic Loss in National Climate Planning,’ the report takes stock of how nationally determined contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and Health National Adaptation Plans (HNAPs) address health-related loss and damage. Analysis centers on references to physical health, mental health, and health systems and services, as well as broader themes, such as urban health, vulnerability, and climate-related displacement.

While national climate policies and strategies, particularly NAPs, are increasingly referencing physical and mental health impacts, the report finds that they do not fully operationalize health-related loss and damage. “Addressing this gap will require stronger integration of health across climate policy instruments, clearer articulation of cross-sectoral pathways, greater attention to mental health and long-term system resilience, and improved alignment between vulnerability analysis and implementation,” it argues.

The report points to increasing recognition of urban environments as hotspots of health-related loss and damage, particularly when it comes to heat stress, infrastructure disruption, and pressures on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems. While extreme weather events dominate national risk framing, it finds that “slow-onset processes and indirect, cross-sectoral health pathways are less consistently addressed, despite their long-term implications.”

To strengthen national approaches, the report identifies the following priority areas for governments:

• Embedding health more systematically in national climate policies, including NDCs and NAPs, to move beyond general references towards clearly defined policy responses;
• Developing data, indicators, and assessment approaches to better capture non‑economic losses, such as impacts on physical and mental health, displacement, and well-being; and
• Strengthening financing pathways and implementation planning to address the gap between recognition of health risks on the one hand, and the lack of operational responses and funding mechanisms on the other.

The report was released during the June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany, on 12 June 2026. [Publication: Loss and Damage Beyond Economics: Exploring Health as a Non-economic Loss in National Climate Planning] [Publication Landing Page] [UNEP Press Release] [Approaches to Address Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts in Developing Countries]