Ahead of COP26, South Africa is now the leader amongst the world’s 20 biggest emitters of greenhouse gases in taking action to protect its people’s health, according to the third round of Healthy NDCs Scorecards issued today by the Global Climate and Health Alliance.

Just three weeks ahead of the UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK more than 400 organizations representing at least 45 million nurses, doctors and health professionals worldwide – about three quarters of the global health workforce – have signed an open letter to the 197 government leaders and national delegations ahead of COP26, warning that the climate crisis is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, and calling on world leaders to deliver on climate action.

The “Healthy NDCs Scorecard”, which ranks progress of countries towards the inclusion of health within national climate commitments (Nationally Determined Contributions – NDCs) ahead of November’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, ranked three middle income countries, Cambodia, Moldova and Cabo Verde as joint leaders for their consideration of health across five categories.

“The IPCC Climate Report not only makes clear the scale of the health emergency created by climate warming – the greatest health crisis humanity has ever faced – it tells us that every government, every business and every institution must take immediate action to rapidly and deeply cut greenhouse gas emissions, achieve major reductions throughout this decade, and net zero emissions by 2050 if we are to ensure human health and safety on this planet”.

Despite spending over a year dealing with the pandemic, along with heatwaves, forest fires and other climate impacts, governments are not yet doing enough to prioritise health in the face of a warming climate or to incorporate health into their climate commitments, according to the Healthy NDC Scorecard released today by the Global Climate and Health Alliance.

Bigger, more frequent forest and bush fires are having increased and not yet well-studied health impacts on people – including through longer and more frequent exposure to fire smoke by larger populations in distant cities – according to a report released today by the Global Climate and Health Alliance

South African and pan-African health groups are calling on the South African government to recognise that health is the bottom line of climate change, and to put health at the heart of its climate commitments ahead of this November’s COP26 global climate meeting.

Up to two million schoolchildren (20 lakhs) in Bengaluru, India are potentially exposed to dangerous air pollution during their school day, risking asthma, allergic rhinitis and other chronic health impacts, according to a report released today by Healthy Air Coalition, Bengaluru.

Governments worldwide must mark today, World Health Day, by seizing the opportunity to make health the keystone of their national climate action commitments ahead of November’s COP26 climate summit, said an international consortium of health professional and health civil society organizations. The theme of this year’s World Health Day is “building a fairer, healthier world for everyone”

“Health professionals must join the growing global community of science-based advocates working to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement”, according to a call to action published today by members of the Board of Directors of the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) in The Journal of Climate Change and Health. manifesto, titled “Health professionals, the Paris agreement, and the fierce urgency of now”.

“World leaders must draw motivation from this year’s Lancet Countdown report to drive ambitious and meaningful action that will immediately increase the pace of carbon emission reductions”, said Jeni Miller, Executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. “With the world already having warmed 1.2 degrees Celsius, impacts on human health are beginning to snowball”.

Political leaders, medical professionals, civil society leaders and experts on climate and health are calling for COVID-19 responses that integrate health, the economy, biodiversity and climate change, ahead of a global virtual gathering on November 9 aimed at putting health and equity at the center of ambitious climate action.

The Race to Zero Climate & Health Dialogue will bring local and global actors together to place health and equity at the center of ambitious climate action. Register now!

“NHS England’s promise to eliminate its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 sets an extraordinary example for the health sector around the world of the kind of climate action we need. This decision by NHS England aligns with robust scientific evidence on just how serious a threat climate change represents for human health, and puts England’s health service on a path that supports a more resilient, sustainable, and a healthier future. Though we are still grappling with a devastating pandemic, health leaders have a responsibility to manage the other health threats on the horizon. The NHS commitment clearly recognizes this, and must serve as inspiration for health services worldwide to do the same”.

“The urgency of our current situation demands decisive action and substantive finance from governments to deliver a fair transition away from fossil fuels towards clean development and a safe and healthy future for all.”