The role of the health sector in climate change mitigation

Ahead of the UN General Assembly in September 2021, top medical journals, including The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine, called on governments to bolster their efforts in the mitigation of climate change to protect human health. The Call for Emergency Action, published in over 200 medical and health journals around the world, pleaded with global leaders to keep average global temperature increases below 1.5° Celsius. The impact of climate change on health and healthcare systems is becoming well known as one of the biggest threats facing humanity. Human health emerged as a leading issue at the 2021 COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow, and was officially classified as a priority for the first time.