New York Climate Week. Skyler Knutzen/Global Climate and Health Alliance.
Santa Marta, 28 April 2026:- Ahead of the ‘high level segment’ of the Santa Marta Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Colombia, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, a consortium of over 250 health organisations, is calling on national leaders gathered to make protecting and advancing human health the centerpiece of plans to exit global fossil fuel dependency.
“National leaders meeting today in Santa Marta are not just here to debate — they are deciding the fate and health of millions of people,” said Dr Jeni Miller, Executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. “They must put the health of every person at the center by committing to end dependence on these dangerous fuels. Before they leave Santa Marta, decision-makers must act to protect people and the planet from the damage caused by fossil fuels.”
“Today’s crucial meeting takes place as the world experiences an unprecedented surge in extreme weather, including record heatwaves, floods, and food system shocks”, said Miller. “These events signal a rapidly destabilizing climate system: temperatures in South and Southeast Asia are currently 45 to 46°C. Heat stress has made hundreds of days unsafe for outdoor work and is pushing the limits of human survivability.””
Global Climate and Health Alliance board members Courtney Howard and Edward Maibach will be present at today’s high level segment:
“Health and health systems have been thus far largely absent from fossil fuel transition plans,and today the governments assembled in Santa Marta have the chance to change that”, said Dr Courtney Howard, MD, Global Climate and Health Alliance Board Chair, and Emergency Physician in Yellowknife, Canada. “Governments gathering today in Santa Marta must prioritize health in transition planning and include health costs in economic decisions.”
“Fossil fuel subsidies effectively put public money in service of death and health system destabilisation”, said Howard. “Because these costs are rarely reflected in budgets or energy plans, the true price of fossil fuels is concealed, making the transition appear costly when, in reality, the burden is borne by people and public health systems. Ending fossil fuel use would save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and strengthen more resilient economies.”
“Fossil fuels are a leading preventable cause of ill-health, premature death, and health care costs, worldwide. Nations that phase-out fossil fuels will rapidly enjoy health and economic benefits that far outweigh the necessary investments”, said Edward Maibach, Global Climate and Health Alliance board member representing the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. “Here in Santa Marta, as part of the Health Benefits workstream of the conference’s academic chapter, we identified concrete actions that governments and the health community can take to build public support and political will to accelerate the transition to clean, healthful energy in their country.”
“Championing a fossil fuel-free world is one of the most important actions that health professionals can take to ensure the health and well-being of everyone alive today”, added Maibach. “The health benefits of a fossil fuel phase-out are profound, fast-acting, and can last a lifetime—especially for babies and children.”
“When a truck carrying coal passes through a village, children breathe the dust long before anyone talks about climate policy,” said Milena Sergeeva, Networks and Engagement Lead for the Global Climate and Health Alliance. “And while health has not featured in national and sub-national government submissions, it is precisely this immediate, lived reality that has brought together workers, communities, health professionals, and advocates across constituencies. Health cuts through abstraction, it is urgent, tangible, and unifying. The message from the Children’s Stakeholder group speaking during the Summit of the Peoples in Santa Marta is simple: listen to us and protect our health. A fossil-free future is not an abstract goal – it is the right of every child to grow up able to breathe safely, and governments have a responsibility to act now to protect their health.”
ENDS
Contact:
Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, Global Climate and Health Alliance, [email protected], +34 691 826 764 (Available from 0630 CET)
About GCHA
The Global Climate and Health Alliance is a consortium of more than 250 health professional and health civil society organisations and networks from around the world addressing climate change. We are united by a shared vision of an equitable, sustainable future, in which the health impacts of climate change are minimised, and the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation are maximised.
Find out more: https://climateandhealthalliance.org/who-we-are/about/
