ABOUT US


Learn more about us below

GCHA Campaign Lead Shweta Narayan speaks at Session 3 at TED Countdown Summit on October 13, 2021. TED Countdown Summit. October 12-15, 2021, Edinburgh, Scotland (Gilberto Tadday / TED)

The climate crisis is a health crisis. The Global Climate and Health Alliance unites and mobilises the health community worldwide and accelerates climate action to protect and improve health for all.

Every day, and in every country, the climate crisis is already having devastating effects on people’s health, overwhelming healthcare systems and causing governments to spend billions responding to this ever growing emergency. Despite this, action to tackle the climate crisis is stalled.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) was founded in 2011 and unites and mobilises the health community on the climate crisis to accelerate climate action and protect and improve health for all. We are a global network of 200+ organisations spanning every continent and our member and partner organisations represent more than 46 million health workers globally.

From community midwives and NGOs, to health ministers and policymakers, health voices are trusted messengers in their communities. We unite health voices to drive real climate action towards a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone, everywhere.

Many of the solutions to the climate crisis are also health solutions, with major benefits for our health and wellbeing. GCHA works to ensure that these benefits, and the health impacts of the climate crisis, are addressed in climate action at the local, national and global level.

To have the greatest impact GCHA and our members influence and engage with key players across climate and health in a range of ways. Specifically we:

  • Co-chair the WHO-Civil Society Working Group on Climate & Health
  • Collaborate with organisations and agencies around the world on evidence-based advocacy, policy work, movement building, research and strategic communications.
  • Encourage and support the health sector to lead by example, in mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis;
  • Raise awareness of how the climate crisis is impacting health and of the health benefits of robust climate mitigation policies in areas including energy, transport, food and housing.
  • Mobilise and train the climate and health movement
  • Influence policy and legal strategies
  • Advocate for the equitable phase out of fossil fuels
  • Elevate key research on climate and health
  • Engage and inform the public on key issues

Learn more about how we do this and our latest projects here.

Why is the voice of the health community so powerful?

Health professionals are among the most trusted professionals in the world. They have the power to shift the politics of the climate crisis with both stories and an evidence base centred on the global shared human value of good health. As influential members of society, health professionals can impact policy when organised into powerful professional associations and civil society groups, through direct advocacy with decision makers.

GCHA is uniquely positioned to engage and guide the rapidly growing movement of health professionals and health workers concerned about the climate crisis and drive the transformational change and climate action needed to protect health for all.

Photo By: Kaboompics.com