SETTING A NEW HEALTH AGENDA
AT THE NEXUS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT, AND
BIODIVERSITY

| SETTING A NEW HEALTH AGENDA – AT THE NEXUS OF CLIMATE CHANGE,ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY

The triple planetary crisis, three interconnected crises – ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution’ are putting global
health and well-being at risk. They undermine opportunities to reduce poverty, ensure intra- and inter-generational equity
and improve lives, and they complicate the response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Addressing and acting on the nexus of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation would reduce therisk of current and new health threats, creating a more promising and healthy future for coming generations and not leaving
the most vulnerable groups behind.1 There are salient opportunities for maximizing health co-beneﬁts by addressing interlinkages and common grounds of social and planetary dimensions for future human- and planet sustainability, creating
multi-level conversations and actions to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
The Prince Mahidol Award Conference is a powerful global multi-stakeholder platform that can enable complex dialogues,
stimulating inter-sectorial and interdisciplinary collaboration among countries, sectors and disciplines, sending positive
signals for scaling up eﬀorts to tackle these converging crises, and to improve human and planetary health. PMAC 2023
oﬀers a unique opportunity to address the Triple Planetary Crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) and Triple
Billion global health burden of people lacking access to health care, needing enhanced protection from health emergencies,
and falling behind health and wellbeing metrics.
The format of PMAC allows deeper dives into several ﬁelds within the nexus of climate, biodiversity, pollution and health,with a strong emphasis on policy and private sector accountability and initiatives at all levels; global, national, regional, andcommunity levels. Active engagement with politicians and other decision-makers, academia, and the business sector at thislevel, PMAC 2023 aims to stimulate action-oriented discussions and pave a strong foundation for collaborative action anddecision-making regarding climate, environment and biodiversity for optimal health outcomes.

Sub-Theme 1
Addressing the Nexus of Climate Change, Environment, Biodiversity, and Health Emergencies

SUB-THEME 1
The triple planetary crisis, three interconnected crises ‒ climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss‒
are putting global health and well-being at risk. They undermine opportunities to reduce poverty, ensure intra- and intergenerational equity and improve lives, and they complicate the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the prevention ofanother infectious disease pandemic. Vulnerable populations and areas with already weak health infrastructure are at mostrisk, often without the capacity to prepare and respond to the impact of these interconnected crisis.
Acknowledgement of the health–environment nexus, our scientiﬁc understanding of the crises and the common urgency toact upon them are growing. But the relationship between health, climate change, environmental degradation andbiodiversity loss is complex, and there is an urgent need to understand these complexities to create policies of mitigation
and adaption to their direct and indirect relations. Over 4 million people die prematurely each year from outdoor air
pollution. Two-third of which can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels, a direct driver of climate change. The energy
sector is responsible for almost three-quarters of the emissions that have already pushed global average temperatures 1.1°C higher since the pre-industrial age , highlighting the energy sector’s place at the core of sustainable change, ﬁnding new
solutions while balancing the rise in demand with a growing global population.
At high levels, leaders have signalled an interest in shifting global activities toward more integrated and inter-disciplinary
work at the climate, biodiversity and health nexus. However, to address the triple crisis with their interactions with andimplications for health we need systemic change, swift actions and innovative solutions from all sectors and all levels ofsociety.
Framework
A holistic approach to planetary and human wellbeing is provided by Kate Raworth's "Doughnut Economics" model.
Raworth’s model builds on Rockström’s planetary boundaries by combining social and planetary boundaries, taking asystematic approach for future sustainability for human and planetary health, questioning the need for traditional economic
growth to re-focus on more sustainable policies for all. According to the doughnut economic model the environmentally safe
and socially just space in which humanity can thrive lays between social and planetary boundaries. In addition, the world ishome to the largest generation of youth in history whose future is increasingly uncertain. We must ensure that they are
given the opportunity to actively participate in decision-making processes and to hold decision makers accountable.
Key Questions
The World We Want: What does an environmentally safe and socially just space for humanity look like? How can the healthsector strengthen the social foundation and at the same time reinforce the ecological ceiling to create/nurture an
environmentally safe and socially just space for humanity?
1

International Energy Agency (2021) World Energy Outlook 2021. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2021

2

Raworth, K. (2017). A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: humanity's compass in the 21st century. The lancet planetary

health, 1(2), e48-e49.
3

Rockström et.al. (2009) Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecology and society,Vol.14, Issue
4

Steﬀen et.al. (2015) Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, Vol 347,Issue 6223

Sub-Theme 2
Challenges and Opportunities: Overcoming Challenges and Harnessing
Opportunities for Health at the Biodiversity
Climate NexusSUB-THEME 2
Unabated biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution are the leading global health challenges of our time. Our
dysfunctional global food system is at the heart of this “triple planetary crisis” and holistic multisectoral approaches tohealth, such as One Health and planetary health, are at the heart of solutions to bridge the persistent and growing healthchallenges they pose. At the same time, ecosystem-based approaches, or nature-based solutions, that embed health cobeneﬁts oﬀer essential opportunities to meet the adaptation and mitigation commitments set out in the Paris Agreement
and post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, when combined with food system transformation, technological innovation, agreen energy transition and the necessary socio-political and economic conditions to achieve equity and social justice.
Objectives
This sub-theme aims to take in-depth look at the common drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, and theimpact of these environmental determinants, coupled with social, political and economic determinants on health outcomes.
It will focus both on underlying systemic challenges at this nexus and key opportunities to overcome them in the path
toward sustainable transformational change. It will further seek to catalyze health leadership, from local to global levels, bydrawing on existing evidence and knowledge through more coordinated, ambitious and inclusive multi-sectoral approaches
to inform evidence-based policies and actions. It will also seek to identify key opportunities to maximize health co-beneﬁts
and minimize trade-oﬀs at the biodiversity-climate nexus, and to build both social and ecological resilience, and resilient
health systems and societies, in the face of global environmental change.

Sub-Theme 3
Making a Diﬀerence - Taking Action on the GroundSUB-THEME 3
Political Opportunities for Action in 2022: Taking Stock of Global Commitments
The year 2022 presents a great opportunity to mainstream social justice and health in the global environmental agenda,
with far-reaching consequences for the long-term health and resilience of communities and societies worldwide.
In recovering from the global shock caused by COVID-19 - and the resulting damage to livelihoods, health, and sustainable
development – governments are increasingly prioritizing a healthy and sustainable recovery of their economies that takes
into account the broader social, commercial and environmental determinants of health. To encourage a healthy post-COVID
recovery, in May 2020, WHO launched its Manifesto, laying out 6 prescriptions and over 70 actions for achieving moresustainable, just and healthy societies.
Eﬀorts by civil society groups, local communities, and policy makers at various levels have led to the increased recognitionof the interconnections between our planet and our health. This is increasingly reﬂected in international fora, each of which
present essential entry points for more coordinated, transformative change. This section will discuss essential entry points toraise ambition at the global level, examples include: World Health Day 2022 “Our planet, our health” campaign, the UN
convention on biodiversity (CBD) process to develop a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Health argument forclimate action in the lead up to COP 27, the G7 and G20 commitment to the protection, management and restoration of
biodiversity, and an improved understanding of the interrelations between nature, climate and health crises. (G7 2030
Nature Compact, G7 One Health Initiative), The Sao Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health (2021).
Taking Action for Our Planet and Our Health: Creating Opportunities from the Ground Up (National and Local
Examples)Investing in basic services can protect the health of the most vulnerable from the risks associated with climate change andnature loss. Investing in well-designed health services, infrastructure, sanitation, clean drinking water, drainage, electricity,and land-rights, can transform development opportunities, reduce inequalities, increase adaptive capacity, and reduce
vulnerability to climate-related risks.
We have the solutions at hand. Priority actions to address the current climate, biodiversity and health crises include:
protecting and restoring nature as the foundation of our health; building health resilience to climate risks; creating energy
systems that protect and improve climate and health; transforming urban environments, transport, and mobility; promoting
healthy, sustainable, and resilient food systems; and ﬁnance a healthier, fairer, and greener future to save lives.
Socio-political, Economic and Financial Dimensions
The public health beneﬁts of actions and investments to reverse the climate and biodiversity crises far outweigh the costs.
The health co-beneﬁts from climate change actions are well evidenced, oﬀer strong arguments for transformative change,
and can be gained across many sectors. Eﬀective solutions to reverse nature loss - such as protecting existing forests andother ecosystems, sustainable agriculture and balanced and healthy diets - oﬀer some of the highest potentials for
mitigation and adaptation while also bringing many health beneﬁts (see WHO COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and
Health: The Health Argument for Climate Action).

The sub-theme will be structured around three cross-cutting issues:(1) Addressing intersecting crises and political opportunities at the global level;(2) National and local opportunities to maximize health outcomes(3) Socio-political and economic dimensions: Financing a healthier, greener future.
Objectives
This sub-theme 3, “Making a Diﬀerence: Taking Action on the Ground” will serve as an opportunity to critically reﬂect on theopportunities for action that are needed to create well-being societies. And it will exhibit initiatives, case-studies, alternative
worldviews and socio-economic models for protecting and promoting health on a rapidly changing planet. These examples
will represent a broad range of actors, sectors, geographies and perspectives and will highlight the multiple co-beneﬁts ofworking across sectors for health, social justice, biodiversity and climate change.

| VENUE AND DATES OF THE CONFERENCE
Centara Grand at Central World Hotel, Bangkok
Tuesday 24 - Wednesday 25 January 2023

Side Meetings

Thursday 26 January 2023

Field Trip

Friday 27 - Sunday 29 January 2023

Main Conference| STRUCTURE OF THE CONFERENCE
This is a closed, invitation only conference host by the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, and the Royal Thai Government,
together with other international co‐hosts. The conference consists of:

1. Pre‐conferenceSide meetings
Field trip
2. Main conference
Keynote speeches
Plenary sessions
Parallel sessions
Synthesis: Summary and recommendations
Poster display| PRE‐CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Tuesday 24 January 2023
09:00‐17:30

Side Meetings

Wednesday 25 January 2023
09:00‐17:30

Side Meetings

Thursday 26 January 2023
09:30–18:00

Field Trip

| MAIN CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Friday 27 January 2023
09:00‐10:30

Opening Session by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Keynote Addresses

10:00-10:15

Break

10:15-11:30

Plenary 0: Setting a New Health Agenda – at the Nexus of Climate Change, Environment, andBiodiversity

11:30-13:00

Plenary 1: Living within Limits – A Remedy for Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Pollution and Health?

13:00-14:00

Lunch / Special Event / Poster Presentation

14:00-16:00⚬ PS 1.1: Climate Injustice: Ethics, Distributions, Fairness, and Justice⚬ PS 1.2: Climate change communication⚬ PS 1.3: Transformation of Fossil Fuels and Health (Energy and Health)

16:00-17:00

Break / Special Event / Poster Presentation

17:00-18:00

Plenary 2: Overcoming Challenges and Harnessing Opportunities for Health at the Biodiversity-Climate
Nexus

18:00-20:30

Welcome Dinner

Saturday 28 January 2023

08:30-10:30
10:30-11:00
11:00-13:00
13:00-14:00
14:00-16:00⚬ PS 1.4: Elevating the voices of young people for climate action⚬ PS 1.5: Climate Inaction: Power, Politics, and Political Economy⚬ PS 1.6: Metric and measurement
Break / Special Event / Poster Presentation⚬ PS 2.1: Food System Transformation: Challenges (Part 1)⚬ PS 2.2: Inter-sectoral, Multi-sectoral Approaches: Challenges (Part 1)⚬ PS 2.3: Integrating Health into Nature-based Solutions
Lunch / Special Event⚬ PS 2.4: Food System Transformation: Opportunities (Part 2)⚬ PS 2.5: Inter-sectoral, Multi-sectoral Approaches: Opportunities (Part 2)⚬ PS 2.6: Mobilizing Financial Resources for Climate and Health

16:00-17:00

Break

17:00-18:00

Plenary 3: Making a Diﬀerence: Taking Action on the GroundSunday 29 January 2023

08:30-10:30⚬ PS 3.1: Political and Social Movements⚬ PS 3.2: Transforming the Economy for Health Equity and Environmental Sustainability⚬ PS 3.3: Multi-sectorial Policies and Practices: Mitigation

10:30-11:00

Break

11:00-13:00⚬ PS 3.4: Social movements: their role in advocating to reduce the negative health eﬀects of climatechange⚬ PS 3.5: How do we reduce the impact of healthcare on the environment?
⚬ PS 3.6:Multi-sectoral Policies and Practices: Adaptation

13:00-14:00

Lunch

14.00-15.00

Synthesis: Summary, conclusion and recommendations

15:00-16.00

Closing Session

OPENING SESSION BY HRH PRINCESS MAHA CHAKRI SIRINDHORN AND
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Time [BKK time]

Program

09.00 – 09.10 hrs.

Opening Remarks – HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

09.10 – 09.25 hrs.

Videos (Prince Mahidol Award Foundation and Prince Mahidol Award Conference)

09.25 – 09.40 hrs.

Keynote Session – Prince Mahidol Award Laureates (Pre-Recorded Video)

09.40 – 10.00 hrs

Keynote Speeches- Vandana Shiva, Founder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, India- Banthoon Lamsam, Chairman Emeritus of Kasikornbank, Thailand

| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Banthoon Lamsam, Chairman Emeritus, KASIKORNBANK, Thailand
Vandana Shiva, Founder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, India

PL 0
SETTING A NEW HEALTH AGENDA – AT THE NEXUS OF CLIMATE CHANGE,ENVIRONMENT, AND BIODIVERSITY

| MODERATOR
Richard Horton, Editor In Chief & Publisher, The Lancet, United Kingdom| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Andri Snaer Magnason, Writer and Documentary Film Director, On Time and Water, Dreamland, Casket of Time,
LoveStar, The Story of the Blue Planet, Bonus Poetry, Iceland| PANELIST
Vivian Camacho, General Director, Health Ministry, Bolivia
Omnia El Omrani, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Resident, Ain Shams University Hospital, Egypt
Banthoon Lamsam, Chairman Emeritus, KASIKORNBANK, Thailand
Keizo Takemi, Member, House of Councillors, Japan, JapanPL 1
LIVING WITHIN LIMITS – A REMEDY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY
LOSS, POLLUTION AND HEALTH?

| BACKGROUND

The triple planetary crisis, three interconnected crises ‒ climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution ‒ are putting global
well-being at risk. Climate crisis has been identiﬁed as the biggest health threat of the 21st century, with the potential toreverse years of improvements in global health. It is also undermining opportunities to reduce poverty and improve thequality of lives globally.
The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)[1] report warns of a “code red for humanity” andestimates that our planet will hit the critical increase of 1.5°C within the next 20 years, with irrevocable impacts. In
September 2021, ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, 233 health journals simultaneously called on
governments to take urgent action to tackle the “catastrophic harm to health” from climate change.[2] But negotiations at
the COP26 failed to reach global agreements on reducing emissions by half and raising the climate ﬁnance needed to keep
below the 1.5°C threshold.
The UN predicts that currently we are on route to reach a 2.5°C warming by 2100,[3] but a recent article by McKay et al[4]paints a yet more alarming picture. Their updated analysis suggests that even if we stay within the Paris Agreement’s rangeof limiting global warming to 1.5°C we are not safe. The article argues that current global warming of 1.1°C already lies
within the lower end of ﬁve climate tipping points and further warming, which may be within the Paris Agreement’s range,
could trigger multiple climate tipping points. Going beyond these planetary boundaries could ‘tip’ the Earth system over the
stable environmental state with severe consequences that could be catastrophic to human welfare.[5]The adverse impact of changing environmental conditions is already felt through the scale and/or the reproduction of many
water-, air-, food-, and vector-borne pathogens. Climate crisis has also caused more frequent and extreme whether events
across every corner of the planet, and pollution has negatively impacted water and security, contributing to humanmorbidity and mortality and to the disruption of health service delivery1. Crudely put, addressing, and acting at the nexusof climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution would reduce the risk of current and new health threats, create a more
promising and healthy future for coming generations and assure that the most vulnerable groups are not left behind.
The next decade is therefore crucial; we must cut global greenhouse gas emissions by half to avoid catastrophic impacts tohuman societies and the natural systems upon which we depend. The main driving force of greenhouse gas emissions, alongwith other forms of air pollution, is the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) mainly for electricity andtransportation.[6] The energy sector in itself is responsible for almost three-quarters of the emissions that pushed global
average temperatures 1.1 °C higher since the pre-industrial age.[7] Yet, at the same time 750 million people — 10% of the
global population — still lack access to reliable electricity. Over 2 billion people still primarily depend on biomass fuels fortheir energy needs, and consequentially suﬀer adverse health eﬀects from indoor air pollution.[8]It is evident that addressing the triple interconnected crises and its implication for health requires swift actions and asystemic change, as well as innovative solutions from all levels of society. Adaptation and mitigation, need to work thissimultaneously. Please go to Haines and Frumkin for further reading.[9]While acknowledgement of the health–environment nexus is growing, and political leaders have signaled an interest in
shifting global activities toward integrated and inter-disciplinary approaches, action has been slow to follow[10]. The
potentially long timeframes and the complexity, both the problems and the solutions, can prevent political actors to engage
with intersectoral action, especially when intersectoral action also means challenging commercial interests.[11] But wecannot wait, we must act now to avoid catastrophic impacts. Our challenge is to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to
thrive while respecting the limits of the Earth’s resources.
Assuming that climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and their impact on health are discussed during the opening
session, during Plenary 1 we propose the introduction of Kate Raworth’s Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries. The
model is proposed as a framework to guide the conference as a whole and the session’s discussions, and to call for actions
for future sustainability for human and planetary health with a focus on more regenerative and distributive policies.

The Doughnut model[12] is built on Johan Rockström‘s nine planetary boundaries[13] and “consists of two concentric rings:
a social foundation, to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials, and an ecological ceiling, to ensure thathumanity does not collectively overshoot the planetary boundaries that protect Earth's life-supporting systems. Between
these two sets of boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just: a space in whichhumanity can thrive.”[14]At PMAC 2023, the essence of the Doughnut lies in a strong foundation of human health and well-being that no one
should fall below, and an ecological ceiling of planetary pressure that we should not go beyond.
Moving into the Doughnut’s safe and just space is ‘the challenge of our century’, and the session will reﬂect on this byconsidering the approaches proposed by the Doughnut Economics. The starting point of the Doughnut Economics is to movefrom considering a continuous GDP growth as the measure of progress and focus instead on collective wellbeing and thriving
within our planet’s limits.
This approach does not propose speciﬁc policies and/or actions, rather it promotes a way of thinking and encourages toconsider approaches that can disrupt and turn the current divisive economies into more distributive ones. Simultaneously
the model “recognizes that economies, societies, and the rest of the living world, are complex, interdependent systems thatare best understood through the lens of systems thinking.”[15]Health initiatives are also carried out against a backdrop of a political landscape, where decisions are often made outside of
the global health system, but they impact and often undermine eﬀorts of global health initiatives. Countering this requires
improved global governance, but also the acknowledgement and the identiﬁcation of the speciﬁc policy environments andthe power dynamics in which we operate.[16],8The relationship between health, climate change, environment and biodiversity are complex, and there is an urgent need tounderstand these complexities to create ways and policies of mitigation and adaption to their direct and indirect relations.
There are salient opportunities for maximizing health co-beneﬁts by addressing interlinkages and common grounds of socialand planetary dimensions for future human- and planet sustainability, creating multi-level conversations and actions toaccelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda.

[1] IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate. Cambridge University Press. In Press[2] https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2177[3] https://www.wri.org/insights/cop26-key-outcomes-un-climate-talks-glasgow[4] McKay et al., Exceeding 1.5°C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points. Science 377, 1171 (2022)[5] Rockström J. et al., A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, Vol 461:24;2009.
[6] F Perera and K Nadeau; Climate Change, Fossil-Fuel Pollution, and Children’s Health, N Engl J Med 2022;386:2303-14.
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2117706[7] International Energy Agency: World Energy Outlook 2021. Accessed at: World Energy Outlook 2021 (windows.net)[8] P Wilkinson, K R Smith, M Joﬀe, and A Haines; Energy and Health 1: A global perspective on energy: health eﬀects andinjustices. Lancet 2007; 370: 965–78; DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61252-5[9] Haines A and Frumkin H; Planetary Health: Safeguarding Human Health and the Environment in the Anthropocene.
Cambridge University Press, 2021.
[10] Dasandi N, Cai W, Friberg P, et al. The inclusion of health in major global reports on climate change and biodiversity.
BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e008731. doi:10.1136/ bmjgh-2022-008731[11] Buse K. et al., Tackling the politics of intersectoral action for the health of people and planet. BMJ 2022;376: e068124 |doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-068124.
[12] Raworth K, A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: humanity's compass in the 21st century. The Lancet Planetary
Health. 1 (2): e48–e49.
[13] Rockström J. et al., A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, Vol 461:24;2009.
[14] https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics[15] https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics[16] https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/global-governance-for-health| OBJECTIVES

1. To spur awareness and increase political motivation to planetary stewardship by addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis(climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) through the lens of human health.
2. To stimulate intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration and build coalition among health, environment, and climatechange actors. The need for coherent global governance.
3. To improve knowledge on the nexus and embrace an active role in the knowledge-to-action (KTA) sphere. Identify
common strategies and synergies for tackling the triple crisis and their impact on health.
Proposed Discussion Questions/Topics:
What are the tipping points? How can humanity move into the Doughnut’s safe and just space (building a strong social
foundation, including human health and wellbeing while respecting ecological ceiling of planetary pressure)? What are theopportunities to stimulate paradigm shifts needed for improved human and planetary health? What are innovative
solutions/measures to bridge climate/environment and health professionals in order to tip the scale in climate/environmental
policy? What are successful examples of multi-stakeholder or public private sector partnerships to tackle and scale up
climate resilient health systems?

| MODERATOR
Sharon Friel, ARC Laureate Fellow, Professor of Health Equity and Director of the Menzies Centre for Health
Governance at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University, Australia| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Sweden
Jemilah Mahmood, Professor and Executive Director, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Malaysia, Malaysia
Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform for Biodiversity And Ecosystem
Services, Germany
David Daly, Ambassador, The Embassy of the European Union, Ireland| PANELISTAbigail Johnson, Medical Student, Climate Activist, Youth Advocate, UNICEF and AstraZeneca Young Leaders
Program, Barbados
Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, SwedenPS 1.1
CLIMATE INJUSTICE: ETHICS, DISTRIBUTIONS, FAIRNESS, AND JUSTICE

| BACKGROUND

Global climate change is causing losses in foods, jobs, lives, and other areas throughout the global ecosystem. The impactsof these problems, including their most immediate consequences are felt most severely by communities that are alreadymarginalized in one or more dimensions, whether economically, politically, socially, geographically, or otherwise. For
example, in West Africa climate change is displacing people and increasing conﬂict, advancing food insecurity, and causing
economic losses of nearly $4 billion annually due to erosion, according to 2019 World Bank estimates. Although climatechange is a global phenomenon, as these ﬁgures suggest the impact is not universally felt. Rich countries and elite
populations are more able to insulate themselves against the eﬀects of climate change. The unfairness of this reality iscompounded by the disproportionate responsibility born by the wealthy for producing carbon and other chemicals that cause
climate change. Against this background, it is imperative to examine the ethical, distributional, and justice aspects ofclimate change.

| OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this session include clarifying examining major issues in the ethics and justice of climate change,
considering the distributional aspects, and examining both accountabilities and responsibilities. The session will create aforum for advancing views from important constituencies, illuminating core issues of this area, and suggesting importantsolutions.

| MODERATOR
Sulakshana Nandi, National Joint Convener, PHM India and Co-Chair, Global Steering Council, People's Health
Movement, India| PANELIST
Maureen Penjueli, Coordinator, Paciﬁc Network on Globalisation (PANG), Fiji

| SPEAKER
Anand Bhopal, PhD Research Fellow, Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS), theDepartment for Global Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway
Soukeyna Sylla, Public Health Professional, The Global Fund, United States of America
Bhushan Tuladhar, Chief of Party, USAID Clean Air, Family Health International (FHI 360), Nepal

PS 1.2
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION

| BACKGROUND

Background

Already in 1902, there was an article published in the Selma Morning Times in US attributing a theory to the Swedish Nobel
laureate Svante Arrhenius that coal combustion could cause global warming that eventually may lead to human extinction.
In recent decades the evidence base on climate change has become stronger and the awareness in terms of its healthimpacts has increased. Approaching the UN General Assembly in September 2021, BMJ and more than 200 medical journals
published a joint editorial concluding that science is unequivocal, urging world leaders to act on climate change, “A global
increase of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average and the continued loss of biodiversity risk catastrophic harm to healththat will be impossible to reverse”. The climate crisis aﬀects everybody, and urgent mitigation action is needed i.e., to cut
greenhouse gas emissions, the drivers of climate change, and adaptation, i.e., actions taken to manage unavoidable impacts
and new conditions.

How climate change is communicated may have a decisive impact on the ability to create awareness, inform and motivate
decision makers, civil society, and diﬀerent stake holders for both far reaching climate mitigation and extensive resources
for adaptation. The central role of communication in such processes has constantly been emphasized by researchers inrecent years, but it has not been reﬂected in the space given in scientiﬁc debates.

Climate change communication closely relates to health communication. The importance of incorporating healthcommunication insights into climate change communication has been emphasized. Health communication has developed
over a far longer period than climate change communication, with focus on encouraging behavior modiﬁcation and socialchange. There is vast experience in health communication of intervening, framing, and segmenting diﬀerent audiences on
relevant factors needed for tailored communication, to engage, empower, inﬂuence individuals and communities.

Climate communication emerged as a research area in the beginning of the 1990’s. For a long time, it mostly focused onawareness raising regarding climate change. During the last decade it has included aspects such as motivation, capacities,
enabling, empowerment, civic engagement and public participation, organizational strategies, and persuasive strategies toaﬀect attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Social marketing, widely used in public health interventions for decades, has also
been more frequently used in climate change public engagement. There has also been growing attention to how climatechange messages are framed to foster greater engagement. It has been suggested that communicating health eﬀects could
be a way to motivate people to change to low energy lifestyles. This potentially could occur in several ways; from avoiding
negative direct health eﬀects from climate change to embracing health beneﬁts from mitigation and adaptation activities.
Climate change communication has a lot to learn from health communication and by strengthening the knowledge base thepower of communication can lead to greater impact regarding climate change action on both individual and societal level.

Previous research on agenda setting has shown that the amount of media coverage a topic receives correlates strongly withthe public’s opinion of how important the topic is. Though, in the social media era there is also a social media agenda toconsider in agenda setting processes when discussing factors that could mediate change. The rapid increase in the use ofsocial media in recent decades has led to an increase in mis- and disinformation. From the 1950s, the tobacco industry
organized campaigns as part of a cohesive strategy, the so called “tobacco strategies” to raise doubts that smoking could be
harmful to health and herby delay regulations and legislation. It has frequently been reported how the fossil fuel industry
uses the tobacco strategies for the same purpose. The main lesson from tobacco history is that delay in agreeing on

international policy and poor implementation will cost countless lives. Today, climate change is one of the topics that has
been most subjected to organized disinformation. Social media networks are also fertile ground for misinformation. It
circulates online, is disseminated to the public and discussed in established media, and in the worst case it can inﬂuence
decision-makers.

| OBJECTIVES

Objectives• Describe what climate communication is and explore how climate communication can produce engagement and action indecision makers, the general public and other stakeholders.
• Discuss how the risks of climate change can be communicated to provide change and action instead of creating passivity
making people lose hope.
• Share knowledge how climate change can be communicated to diﬀerent audiences (i.e., diﬀerent countries, diﬀerent levelsof education, generations, etc.).
• Explore the role of health in climate communication.
• Show examples of how messages can be formulated and framed to create engagement.
• Discuss climate change misinformation and disinformation, speciﬁcally on social media and how risks can be counteracted.

| MODERATORMaria Nilsson, Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology and Global Health. Editor in Chief - Global Health Action, UmeåUniversity, Sweden, Sweden| SPEAKER
Niheer Dasandi, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham, School of Government, United Kingdom
Kathie Treen, PhD-student, Computer Science, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
Tan Su Lin, Journalist and co-founder, Science Media Centre Malaysia, Malaysia
Jagadish Thaker, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland, New ZealandPS 1.3
TRANSFORMATION OF FOSSIL FUELS AND HEALTH (ENERGY AND HEALTH)

| BACKGROUND

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns of a “code red for humanity” andestimates that on current trends our planet will hit the critical temperature increase of 1.5°C within the next 20 years, withirrevocable impacts. The next decade is crucial; we must cut global greenhouse gas emissions by half to avoid catastrophic
impacts to human societies and the natural systems upon which we depend.
The primary source of greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, along with other forms of air pollution, is theburning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) mainly for electricity and transportation. The energy sector in itself is
responsible for almost three-quarters of the emissions that pushed global average temperatures 1.1 °C higher since the preindustrial age, with measurable impacts on weather and climate extremes.
The changing environmental conditions have also negatively impacted human health through contributing to the scale
and/or the reproduction of many water-, air-, food-, and vector-borne pathogens. Climate change has also caused more
frequent and extreme whether events, and pollution has negatively impacted water and security, contributing to humanmorbidity and mortality and to the disruption of health service delivery. Additionally, the areas of the world projected to be
hit the hardest by the climate crisis are also home to many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities, and toindigenous peoples with few options and resources to respond and adapt.
Furthermore, a recent study based on data from over 700 sites in 43 countries also shows that about one third of heatrelated deaths in recent decades can be attributed to climate change and that increased mortality is evident on every
continent.
There are several diﬀerent assessments of the number of fossil fuel related air pollution deaths. According to the Lancet
Commission on Pollution and Health, over 4 million people die prematurely each year from outdoor air pollution, two-thirdsof which can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels. It is estimated that 92% of Asia Paciﬁc’s population – about 4 billion
people – are exposed daily to levels of air pollution that pose a signiﬁcant risk to their health. New research lead by Harvard
university also suggests that death rates from fossil fuel pollution are signiﬁcantly higher than previously thought. Coal
combustion is responsible for over 50% of fossil fuel related deaths in the energy sector and it is clear that fossil fuel burning
is causing millions of premature deaths annually, albeit exact estimates vary depending on the studies included andassumptions made.
The relationship between energy and health is complex. On one hand, it is indisputable that the harnessing of fossil fuels has
greatly beneﬁted humanity and has contributed to the rapid technological, cultural, and social changes in the past century.
Access to clean, aﬀordable, and reliable power is essential for human health, education, and economic prosperity. However,
the way we currently use and produce energy also greatly contributes to a burden of disease through pollution ofenvironments and is the main driver of climate change.
the negative impact of the energy sector on health, while Figure 2 demonstrates the death rates associated with the
production of one unit of electricity.
In addition to health threats, geopolitical considerations remain critically important in fossil fuel dependent energy systems.
The recent supply interruptions in the context of the ongoing conﬂict in Ukraine highlighted the precariousness of our energy
systems. There is a long and tragic history of armed conﬂict related to fossil fuels, and it is likely that decarbonizing ourenergy systems will reduce some of these pressures.
It is evident that the energy system must be at the heart of the solution to climate change. Global warming cannot belimited to well-below 2°C without rapid and substantial changes to the energy system, with deep reductions incarbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption.
Climate change mitigation based on phasing out fossil fuels will address the health eﬀects of climate changewith beneﬁts in the middle to longer term, and also address the health eﬀects of fossil fuel burning from air pollution
with expected beneﬁts in the near term In the meantime, energy demands, and emissions continue to rise. From2015 to 2019, global energy use grew by 6.6%, CO2 emissions from the global energy system grew by 4.6%, with total
greenhouse gas emissions rising by 2.7%. Despite the warnings of experts and the potential devastating and irreversible
impact of climate change, the extraction of oil and gas has accelerated over the last decade, and according to a recent
Guardian article is set toincrease. The article reports on a set of projects, so-called ‘carbon bombs’, that are planned to start drilling
before the end of this crucial decade. These projects, of which over 60% are already operating, set to produce
646bn tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, swallowing the world’s entire carbon budget.
Concurrently the world has another global energy problem as 750 million people — 10% of the global population — still lackaccess to reliable electricity. Over 2 billion people still primarily depend on biomass fuels for their energy needs, andconsequentially suﬀer adverse health eﬀects from indoor air pollution. We live in an unequal world and climate change is
expected to further exacerbate inequality. The poorest, most vulnerable communities are projected to be hit hardest by the
impacts of climate change and already experience other damaging health impacts from a fossil fuel-based energy system,
such as air pollution, to a greater extent.
The world’s energy systems are in desperate need of modernization. We need to transition to clean energy, to safe, lowcarbon, sustainable and cheap large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels. We must reconcile energy needs, especially forthe poorest communities, with reducing the environmental eﬀects of energy production and use. But when doing so we alsoneed to address the current economic model and the political economy of energy production that promotes fossil fuels as a
proﬁtable and safe investment.
According to Sharon Y Eubanks, who led the US lawsuit against big tobacco for its harmful lies, the oil industry is the newtobacco industry. The tipping point for fossil fuel companies is approaching as the weight of scientiﬁc evidence is becoming
too great to ignore and manage.
“Confronting the climate crisis requires action. People need to pressure governments and private ﬁrms to transition to a
post-carbon economy.” Achieving net zero emission will require the transition to clean energy. The good news is that
renewable sources of energy are available and solutions that beneﬁt both the planet and human health lie within reach.
There are opportunities for clean electriﬁcation; a renewed focus on realising the full potential of energy eﬃciency, and toclean energy innovation and an increasing urgency to tackle climate change.
Investments to renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar PV are at their highest in over two decades, and electricvehicle sales set new records. A new energy economy is coming into view and hopefully the beneﬁts these will provide forhealth, prosperity, and well-being for all.

| OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES:
To raise awareness of the energy sector’s impact on health and its centrality to addressing climate change.
To raise awareness of and discuss the two energy problems: lack of access on one hand and the use of polluting
fossil fuels on the other.
To discuss options to low carbon, aﬀordable and large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels.
Session Structure
We propose to have an armchair conversation style session. Professor Renzo Guinto will be moderating the session and all
panelists will be on stage or on screen for the whole duration of the session.
We will start with Professor Haines' keynote address, which will be about 20 minutes in length and will be delivered
through video conferencing.
Following the keynote address, Prof. Renzo will introduce the panelists and the proceedings. Each panel member will begiven the opportunity to reﬂect on the keynote address by providing a 5 minute speech, drawing on their area of expertise
and work, and sharing key messages that they wish to stress.
This will be followed by a moderated and interactive discussion among the panelists and the audience focusing on policy
oriented questions. Professor Renzo will moderate the discussion and will ask and guide the panelists to reﬂect on solutions,and the speciﬁc role of the government and the private sector in solving the issues brought up during the beginning of thesession.
We have 120 minutes at our disposal, which should allow adequate time. However, we would like to kindly request everyone
to respect the allocated time limits to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to express their views and allow time for a
discussion.

| MODERATOR
Renzo R. Guinto, Director, Planetary and Global Health Program, St. Luke's Medical Center College of Medicine,Philippines| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Andrew Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine, United Kingdom| PANELISTNatalia Linos, Executive Director, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, United States ofAmerica
Alejandro Ren Daly Rivero, Co-founder Latin American Coalition for Clean Air, UNICEF, MPA Candidate, Columbia
University, United States of America
Marina Romanello, Executive Director, The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, United Kingdom
Josep M. Anto, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Pompeu Fabra University, Research Professor of the Barcelona
Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain
Yanadet Sripanich, Business Lead, CCS, PTT Exploration and Production PLC, ThailandPS 1.4
ELEVATING THE VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CLIMATE ACTION

| BACKGROUND

By 2025, Gen Z will exceed over 30% of the global workforce. Join us for Future Talk: leverage Gen Z to createa workforce advantage. It is the only youth-led AND action-focused event. You will leave with innovative
solutions and new ideas.

You will hear directly from young leaders. How can we harness Gen Z’s unique drive and approach to address
issues at the nexus of climate change, biodiversity loss and health crises?

FHI 360’s partner, Future Minds Network will oﬀer practical guidance and tools to action social change. Work
collaboratively with participants to inspire and implement ideas that mobilise intergenerational action. Bringthese back to your workplace and have actionable takeaways, new insights and a completely fresh
perspective.

| OBJECTIVES

To inspire, raise youth voices and increase youth participation to address climate and health crisis.

| MODERATORNathaniel Diong, CEO, Future Minds Network, Australia| PANELIST
Wilawan Panyoung, Co-founder and CEO Environman.Co.,Ltd, Environman, Thailand
Tipvipa Kittikasemsak, Founder, what a WHY, Thailand| SPEAKER
Omnia El Omrani, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Resident, Ain Shams University Hospital, Egypt
Shreesha Nankhwa, Social and Behavior Change Communication Oﬃcer, FHI360, Nepal
Mohamed Eissa, Liaison Oﬃcer for Public Health Issues, International Federation of Medical Students
Associations (IFMSA), Egypt
Lavetanalagi Seru, Regional Policy Coordinator, the Paciﬁc Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN)., FijiPS 1.5
CLIMATE INACTION: POWER, POLITICS, AND POLITICAL ECONOMY

| BACKGROUND

Climate change and biodiversity loss are existential threats to humanity but in most countries the mitigation and adaptation
measures implemented thus far have been exceedingly modest. In communities living in vulnerable circumstances in lowand middle-income countries climate change is already real. For instance, the Paciﬁc Islands’ very existence is threatened byrising sea-levels and in Bangladesh ﬂooding is more extreme and threatening to lives and livelihoods. Extreme weather,rising water levels, and other eﬀects have already changed lives and livelihoods for the worse. By contrast, in rich countries
urgency is felt mainly by specialized groups of activists and researchers that thus far lack the political inﬂuence to drive
large-scale change. The distribution of vulnerability is not well correlated with carbon emissions, either, which means thatthe largest contributing nations and populations are less motivated to act by the changes already apparent to others. Withincountries similar dynamics mirror those of the international story. Using a lens of power, politics, and political economy thissession explores reasons why countries are having diﬃculty acting against climate change even as is manifested in deadlyor harmful ways in many settings.

| OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this session include clarifying some of the major political and political economy problems that currently
frustrate action that could counter climate change and providing a forum for amplifying views on these topics. For example,
the session will discuss lobbying activities of fossil fuel industries and explore the diﬃculties of making the plight ofcommunities in vulnerable circumstances salient in national and global politics.

| CHAIRS
Jesse Bump, Executive Director of the Takemi Program in International Health and Lecturer on Global Health Policy,
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America| SPEAKER
Minah Kang, Professor, Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea
Ian Dunlop, Member, or Advisory Board Member, The Club of Rome, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes,
Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration, Australia, Australia
Julieta Kavetuna, Member of Parliament Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development and Family Aﬀairs,
Parliament of Namibia, Namibia
Benita Kayembe, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Master of
Science Student, Harvard School of Public Health, United States of America
Angele Mendy, Visiting scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, SwitzerlandPS 1.6
METRIC AND MEASUREMENT

| BACKGROUND

Evidence particularly in quantitative form is powerful in informing the scale of the health burden from mortality andmorbidity DALYs as well as the estimated economic impacts of this on the health sector and wider society.
Providing quantitative evidence in economic ﬁgures enables translation of relative scales of challenge across sectors
facilitating decision making on the allocations of resources across sectors by ministries of ﬁnance and within the healthsectors by ministries of health.
Where it can be provided presenting evidence on the costs and beneﬁts accruable from investments in climate adaptation,i.e. to show where in both the short and long term beneﬁts outweigh the cost of investment, represent powerful advocacy
and policy prioritization tools.

| OBJECTIVES

1. To review state of the arts on measuring and quantifying health and economic burdens from climate-related risks tohuman health, including consideration of linkages to bio-diversity loss and direct pollution, changes in vector ecology andinfectious diseases epidemiology, hampering food production resulting in food and nutritional insecurity and impacts onhuman health.
2. To review options to further develop the evidence based and development of tools to estimate costs and net beneﬁts fromgovernment investment in measures to support climate adaptation interventions to reduce climate-related health risks topopulations.
3. Sharing LMIC experiences on climate adaptation interventions and how in practices on these tools and metrics can beapplied.

| MODERATOR
Tamer Samah Rabie, Lead Health Specialist, The World Bank, United States of America
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Head, Climate Change and Health, Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Health (ECH), World Health Organization, France| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Marina Romanello, Executive Director, The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, United Kingdom| SPEAKER
Dasho Karma Ura, President, The Centre of Bhutan and Gross National Happiness Studies, Bhutan
Stephen Dorey, Senior Environment and Health Specialist, The World Bank, United States of America
Alejandro Ren Daly Rivero, Co-founder Latin American Coalition for Clean Air, UNICEF, MPA Candidate, Columbia
University, United States of America
Stein Emil Vollset, Professor of Health Metrics, the Department of Health Metrics Sciences, The University ofWashington, United States of America

PL 2
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES AND HARNESSING OPPORTUNITIES FORHEALTH AT THE BIODIVERSITY-CLIMATE NEXUS

| BACKGROUND

Unabated biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution are the leading global health challenges of our time. Our
dysfunctional global food system is at the heart of this “triple planetary crisis” and holistic multisectoral approaches tohealth, such as One Health and planetary health, are at the heart of solutions to bridge the persistent and growing healthchallenges they pose. At the same time, ecosystem-based approaches, or nature-based solutions, that embed health cobeneﬁts oﬀer essential opportunities to meet the adaptation and mitigation commitments set out in the Paris Agreement
and post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, when combined with food system transformation, technological innovation, agreen energy transition and the necessary socio-political and economic conditions to achieve equity and social justice.

| OBJECTIVES

The overall aim of sub-theme 2 will be to take in-depth look at the common drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change andpollution, and the impact of these environmental determinants, coupled with social, political and economic determinants on
health outcomes. It will focus both on underlying systemic challenges at this nexus and key opportunities to overcome themin the path toward sustainable transformational change. It will further seek to catalyze health leadership, from local to global
levels, by drawing on existing evidence and knowledge through more coordinated, ambitious and inclusive multi-sectoral
approaches to inform evidence-based policies and actions. It will also seek to identify key opportunities to maximize healthco-beneﬁts and minimize trade-oﬀs at the biodiversity-climate nexus, and to build both social and ecological resilience, andresilient health systems and societies, in the face of global environmental change.

| MODERATOR
Dennis Carroll, Chair, Leadership Board, Global Virome Project, Senior Advisor, Global Health Security, URC, UnitedStates of America| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Vandana Shiva, Founder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, India
David Nabarro, Adviser for Sustainability, 4SD - Skills, Systems & Synergies for Sustainable Development, United
Kingdom| PANELIST
Kobie Brand, Deputy Secretary General of ICLEI, Regional Director of ICLEI Africa, and Global Director for the ICLEI
Cities Biodiversity Centre, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, South Africa
Lavetanalagi Seru, Regional Policy Coordinator, the Paciﬁc Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN)., Fiji
Maria Neira, Assistant Director-General, a.i, Division of UHC/Healthier Popuations and Director, Department ofEnvironment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, SwitzerlandPS 2.1
FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION: CHALLENGES (PART 1)

| BACKGROUND

We are at a cross-roads: our largely dysfunctional food productions systems are responsible for about one quarter of allanthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; land use change is now the primary driver of biodiversity loss andinfectious disease emergence; land degradation has reduced the productivity of one quarter of the global land surface. Overthe past 5 decades, there has been a 300% increase in volume of agricultural production dependent on animal pollination
and up to 75% of global food crops are dependent on animal pollination. Yet, pollinator declines alone contribute to annual
losses ranging between USD $235 and $577 billion (IPBES 2017). Plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, and its
impacts come right back to human populations through the food chain.

Moreover, the loss of diversity from agro-food systems is increasing the vulnerability and reducing the sustainability of many
production systems and has had negative eﬀects on human health. While there have been signiﬁcant increases in foodproduction through the introduction of higher yielding uniform varieties and breeds, loss of genetic diversity in production
systems through monocropping of uniform crop varieties or animal breeds has led to instances of large production losses
and, in some cases, has had signiﬁcantly negative health consequences. Loss of diversity has also resulted in the reduced
provision of regulating and supporting ecosystem services, requiring additional chemical inputs and creating negative
feedback loops (WHO, 2020).

The large and growing body of scientiﬁc evidence at this nexus will be instrumental to informing the format and structure ofthis session.

| OBJECTIVES

The global food system is the leading driver of biodiversity loss, a signiﬁcant driver of climate change and at the heart ofmany communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The core aims of these sessions will be to answer the following broad
questions: What are the primary (environment/climate/health) challenges posed by our dysfunctional global food system?
What are some of the key entry points to overcome them?
The "Food System Transformation" session will be divided into two parts. Part 1 (Parallel Session 2.1) will emphasize theneed for urgent food system transformation at the biodiversity, climate and health nexus and Part 2 (Parallel Session 2.4)
will highlight opportunities to overcome them.

| MODERATORFrancesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization, Switzerland| PANELIST
Danny Hunter, Principal Scientist, The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Australia
Jessica Fanzo, Professor, Johns Hopkins University - School of Advanced International Studies and the Bloomberg
School of Public Health, United States of America
Abigail Johnson, Medical Student, Climate Activist, Youth Advocate, UNICEF and AstraZeneca Young Leaders
Program, Barbados
Vanida Khumnirdpetch, Director of Bureau of Foreign Agricultural Aﬀairs, Oﬃce of Permanent Secretary, Ministryof Agriculture and Cooperatives, ThailandPS 2.2
INTER-SECTORAL, MULTI-SECTORAL APPROACHES: CHALLENGES (PART 1)

| BACKGROUND

Biodiversity, healthy ecosystems and human health and well-being are inextricably linked. Yet, we continue to see thedestruction of our natural world to our own detriment.

Human ecological disruption, unsustainable consumption and production, climate change and pollution have driven both
infectious and noncommunicale disease risk long before the COVID 19 pandemic. Today, the risk of both infectious disease
outbreaks and noncommunicable diseases is increasing rapidly, as is the incidence of antimicrobial resistance. Increased
disease risk is itself driven by increasing anthropogenic changes and the impacts of human activities on the environment. In
particular, unsustainable exploitation of the environment due to land-use change, agricultural expansion and intensiﬁcation,
unregulated animal trade and consumption, pollution, the increased use of antimicrobials in food production systems andother drivers disrupt natural interactions and ecosystem integrity and combine to drive disease risk.

Climate change has also been implicated in disease emergence (e.g. tick-borne encephalitis in Scandinavia) and will likely
cause substantial health risks in future by driving the movement of people, wildlife, reservoirs, and vectors, and spread of
their pathogens, in ways that lead to new contact among species, increased contact among species, disrupt natural hostpathogen dynamics, by hindering food and nutrition security and food safety, and can also drive the risk of NCDs.
Some of the questions explored through this session will examine the main reasons that we have largely failed to value
healthy ecosystems as a fundamental pathway to keeping humans healthy. It will also seek to address how key stakeholders
and sectors can work together to achieve transformative change required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals andother global commitments (e.g. Paris Agreement, Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework).

What are the main reasons that we have largely failed to value healthy ecosystems and environments as a fundamental
pathway to reducing the global burden of both infectious and non-communicable diseases?
Lack of cross-sectoral engagement
Inadequate political leadership/political will and public support
Inadequate ﬁnancing for multisectoral collaboration (role of taxation)
Insuﬃcient community empowerment (political voice, authority)
Competing private sector interests| OBJECTIVES

Finding synergies to maximize co-beneﬁts can be meaningfully achieved only through concerted multi-sector, multistakeholder collaboration. Newly expanded initiatives and collaborations and tools to support the implementation of One
Health and other integrated approaches to health, such as Ecohealth and planetary health, and other emerging or expanded
partnerships, provide essential opportunities to address both global environmental challenges and infectious andnoncommunicable disease risks.

The "Inter-sectoral, Multi-sectoral Approaches" session will be divided into two parts for an in depth look at the challenges(Parallel Session 2.2) associated with siloed actions to tackle the root causes of infectious and noncommunicable disease risk
and opportunities (Parallel Session 2.5) and tools for cross-sectoral and multisectoral collaboration to overcome them. It will

enable participants both to engage in a constructive dialogue spanning the full breadth of the biodiversity and climate
challenges that we face and to discuss opportunities for engagement to catalyze cross-sectoral action through integrated
approaches such as One Health, and other integrated approaches to health.

| MODERATOR
Ronald Labonté, Professor and Holder of the Distinguished Research Chair in Contemporary Globalization and
Health Equity, University of Ottawa, Canada| PANELIST
Puthita Kachintorn, Pharma-agro Business Developer, K Agro-innovate Institute under Kasikornthai Foundation,
Thailand
Doreen Robinson, Head of Biodiversity and Land, UN Environment Programme, Kenya
John Amuasi, Group Leader, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Ghana
Nicole Redvers, Associate Professor, University of Western, Canada
Amanda Quintana, Climate and Health Technical Specialist and Researcher, Abt Associates and LSHTM, United
Kingdom
Vipat Kuruchittham, Executive Director, Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN), ThailandPS 2.3
INTEGRATING HEALTH INTO NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

| BACKGROUND

Many of of the solutions to common common public health and environmental threats can only be found through crosssectoral and interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, action and policy. This session will showcase how coherent and inclusive,
evidence-based policies at the public health, environment, and climate nexus – through the lens of Nature-based solutions –can help prevent future health risks associated with ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change, and chart
a common path toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Nature-based solutions are actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modiﬁed terrestrial,
freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems which address social, economic and environmental challenges eﬀectively andadaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity beneﬁts(UNEP/EA.5/Res.5). Ecosystem health underpins human well-being, from climate resilience, to food and water security, tohuman health – and investing in NbS can oﬀer catalytic opportunity for the health and environment sectors to work together
to drive improved health outcomes.

| OBJECTIVESThis session will promote guidance and tools to support health integration into Nature-based Solutions by: (1) identifying cobeneﬁts and trade-oﬀs for human and ecosystem health, (2) strengthening social and ecological resilience and (3)supporting a healthy, green and just recovery from COVID-19. This collaboration focuses on embedding ecosystem health,biodiversity and climate change in One Health policies, plans and projects, and driving knowledge exchange on theenvironmental and social determinants of health, while systematically integrating health co-beneﬁts in the development,
design and implementation of Nature-based Solutions to climate change.

This session will:
Present an overview of Nature-based Solutions, as aligned with the IUCN Global Standard on NbS 1, and detail how
the health sector can drive leadership in the developemnt, design and implementation of these Nature-based
Solutions;Examine the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem degradation, climate and (infectious andnoncommunicable) disease emergence, with a view to maximizing health co-beneﬁts of sustainable ecosystemmanagement and restoration.
Assess the role of environmental, social and economic determinants of health and develop tools to strengthen crosssectoral collaboration, policy coherence and the operationalization of an integrated Nature-based Solutions and One
Health Approach;
Mainstream health and biodiversity to support a transition toward sustainable and healthy food systems in ways that
also support: dietary diversity; the sustainable management and use of biodiversity in agriculture, ﬁsheries andforestry ecosystems; regenerative agriculture practices; crop diversity and sustainable harvesting practices;sustainable ﬁsheries; sustainable management of livestock, wildlife, terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems;
climate change adaptation and mitigation; and the interactions between these drivers, responses, and outcomes;
Examine the contribution of biodiversity and green and blue infrastructure to support the creation of healthpromoting environments and improve mental and physical health outcomes in both rural and urban areas, including
the development and implementation of Nature-based climate Solutions focused on health co-beneﬁts;
Evaluate climate change as a cross-cutting driver and ampliﬁer of ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and illhealth, and developing policy guidance to maximize the health co-beneﬁts of ecosystem-based adaptation andmitigation eﬀorts.

This session will launch a new joint technical publication and key messages for policymaker on the integration of One Healthand Nature-based Solutions, laying out concrete ways that actions to protect biodiversity, nature and ecosystem health havefar-reaching outcomes for human health. This session will be jointly organised by the World Health Organization, through its
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, andthe Friends of Ecosystem-based Adaptation network, in consultation with the experts of the expert working group (EWG) on
Biodiversity, Climate, One Health and Nature-based Solutions.

| MODERATOR
Cristina Romanelli, Programme Oﬃcer, Biodiversity Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization,
Switzerland| PANELIST
Pipit Aneaknithi, President, KASIKORNBANK, Thailand
Rayan Kassem, West Asia Regional Director, Youth4Nature, Lebanon
Ali Rizvi, Head of Climate Change , International Union for Conservation of Nature, United States of America
Elizabeth Pleuss, Deputy Division Chief for Maternal and Newborn Health in the U.S. Agency for International
Development’s Global Health Bureau, and Leads the Global Health Bureau’s Engagement on Climate Chang, USAID,
United States of America
Jonathan Jennings, Executive Director, Health in Harmony, United States of America
Loreta Rufo, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Climate Investment Funds, The World Bank, United States ofAmericaPS 2.4
FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION: OPPORTUNITIES (PART 2)

| BACKGROUND

While its role is often poorly understood by the general public, there are essential opportunities for mainstreaming
biodiversity to maximize food security, nutrition, and other health outcomes. Biodiversity in agricultural production systems
makes essential contributions to food security and health and is the foundation for sustainable healthy diets. is the source ofthe components of production (crops, livestock, farmed ﬁsh), and the genetic diversity within these that ensures continuing
improvements in food production, allows adaptation to current needs and ensures adaptability to future needs. Agricultural
biodiversity is also essential for agricultural production systems, underpinning ecosystem services such as pollination, pest
control, nutrient cycling, erosion control and water availability and supply.

These food system transformations not only have far-reaching impacts on our ecosystems and climate, they are also
responsible for a signiﬁcant and growing burden of malnutrition in all its forms. Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will
require substantial dietary shifts, including a greater than 50% reduction in global consumption of unhealthy foods such as
sugar, and a greater than 100% increase in the consumption of healthy foods such as animal source foods, nuts, fruits,
vegetables and legumes, with a special focus on countries with high levels of malnutrition. Dietary changes from current
diets towards healthy more sustainable diets are likely to result in signiﬁcant health beneﬁts that, according to someestimates, include averting approximately 7.4 to 10.8 million premature deaths per year, a reduction of between 18% to28% (Willet, 2019). The food system transformations that will be required needed diﬀer greatly by regions and particularattention will need to be placed both to overcome key economic, socio political and environmental barriers, with particularattention on vulnerable populations, such as ﬁshers and smallholder farmers, who are often most marginalized fromdecision-making processes.

As a whole, food systems have been identiﬁed as “the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental
sustainability on Earth” (EAT Lancet, 2018). In this session we will explore how to harness biodiversity in local, national andregional initiatives to maximize co-beneﬁts for biodiversity, climate and health and to strengthen social and ecologicalresilience and equity through food system transformation by adopting a comprehensive whole-of-society approach.

Case Study from India
There is enough evidence to show that red meats play a crucial role in nutrition and economy/livelihoods. In fact in India,
these foods, particularly beef have been criminalised and used to lynch/target/discriminate an already extremely
malnourished population and small businesses. The economic burden of stray cattle has also been well documented.
India, as you may know is a caste driven society and with the current government in power that actively targets the minority
community. Malnutrition is at an all time high, especially with detrimental policies (meat bans, denial of eggs in mid-day
meal schemes etc) and Covid related rigorous lockdowns that have destroyed livelihood especially of small business anddaily wage workers. High levels of malnutrition are necessarily accompanied by several vitamin and mineral deﬁciencies forwhich the government is pushing for single nutrient, corporate dependent fortiﬁcation, against which there has been several
criticisms. So essentially, on the one hand, nutrient dense foods such as meats and eggs are being targeted while corporate
dependent single nutrient solutions are being pushed on the country.
Millets are being pushed forward as the magic alternative but these are not nutrient dense and not comparable to animal
source foods for either good quality, bioavailable proteins, minerals or vitamins. Again there is enough research even fromthe National Institute of Nutrition, India and other sources backing this.

Agencies like the Eat Lancet Commission, in collusion with national bodies like the Food Safety and Standards Authority ofIndia (FSSAI) project India as a ‘vegetarian’ country and a model for other countries, never mind the malnutrition and its
inter-generational consequences and also that India is not a predominantly vegetarian country. Only 20% Indians self
identify as vegetarian and even they consume animal source foods such as dairy. This 20% are also more likely to belong tothe oppressor caste/class groups that necessarily have access to more resources as well as ability to inﬂuence and pushcheap cereal heavy diets on the poor.

| OBJECTIVES

The global food system is the leading driver of biodiversity loss, a signiﬁcant driver of climate change and at the heart ofmany communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The core aims of these sessions will be to answer the following broad
questions: What are the primary (environment/climate/health) challenges posed by our dysfunctional global food system?
What are some of the key entry points to overcome them?

The "Food System Transformation" session will be divided into two parts. Part 1 (Parallel Session 2.1) will emphasize theneed for urgent food system transformation at the biodiversity, climate and health nexus and Part 2 (Parallel Session 2.4)
will highlight opportunities to overcome them.

| MODERATORDavid Nabarro, Adviser for Sustainability, 4SD - Skills, Systems & Synergies for Sustainable Development, United
Kingdom| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Vandana Shiva, Founder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, India| PANELIST
Sylvia Karpagam, Public Health Doctor and Researcher, Independent, India
Maureen Miruka, Director, Strategic Partnerships and Research, Food and Water Systems, CARE International,
Kenya
Marcos Ezequiel Filardi, Human Rights and Food Sovereignty Lawyer, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sharon Friel, ARC Laureate Fellow, Professor of Health Equity and Director of the Menzies Centre for Health
Governance at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University, Australia

PS 2.5
INTER-SECTORAL, MULTI-SECTORAL APPROACHES: OPPORTUNITIES (PART2)

| BACKGROUNDThe One Health High Level Expert Panel, endorsed by the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization,
The World Organization for Animal Health and United Nations Environment Programme have developed a new deﬁnition of
One Health to promote a clear understanding, translate across sectors and areas of expertise and strengthen linkages of theenvironmental dimensions of One Health. This more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of One Health, provides forthe ﬁrst time, a common deﬁnition across all four institutions.

The deﬁnition describes One Health as “an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize thehealth of people, animals, and ecosystems. It recognizes that health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and thewider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent. The approach aims to mobilize multiple
sectors, disciplines, and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats tohealth and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking
action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.” This more holistic understanding of One Healthprovides new opportunities for meaningfully embedding the full range of environmental and social determinants of health, tooptimise health outcomes for people, plants, animals and ecosystems alike. It also makes it possible to reduce the tendency
to fragment and compartmentalize One Health approaches, and to optimize outcomes for both infectious andnoncommunicable disease risks (OHHLEP et al., JPA, 2022).

Drawing from some of the core challenges addressed in part 1 (Parallel Session 2.2), we may wish to move toward a focus
on creating opportunities to support health, sustainability, and resilience through integrated approaches to health. One
Health provides such opportunities.
Collaboration/coordination across sectors
Capacity-building
Communication| OBJECTIVES

Finding synergies to maximize co-beneﬁts can be meaningfully achieved only through concerted multi-sector, multistakeholder collaboration. Newly expanded initiatives and collaborations and tools to support the implementation of One
Health and other integrated approaches to health, such as Ecohealth and planetary health, and other emerging or expanded
partnerships, provide essential opportunities to address both global environmental challenges and infectious andnoncommunicable disease risks.

The "Inter-sectoral, Multi-sectoral Approaches" session will be divided into two parts for an in depth look at the challenges(Parallel Session 2.2) associated with siloed actions to tackle the root causes of infectious and noncommunicable disease risk
and opportunities (Parallel Session 2.5) and tools for cross-sectoral and multisectoral collaboration to overcome them. It will
enable participants both to engage in a constructive dialogue spanning the full breadth of the biodiversity and climate
challenges that we face and to discuss opportunities for engagement to catalyze cross-sectoral action through integrated
approaches such as One Health, and other integrated approaches to health.

| MODERATOR
Cristina Romanelli, Programme Oﬃcer, Biodiversity Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization,
Switzerland| PANELIST
Chadia Wannous, Global One Health Coordinator, World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), France
Thi Huong Le, Dean of the Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (IPMPH) and Executive Board Memberof the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN), Hanoi Medical University, Viet Nam
Sean Hillier, Associate Professor & York Research Chair in Indigenous Health Policy & One Health, Faculty of Health,York University, Canada
Boripat Siriaroonrat, Researcher, Mahidol University, Thailand
Catherine Machalaba, Principal Scientist, Health and Policy, EcoHealth Alliance, United States of AmericaPS 2.6
MOBILIZING FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR CLIMATE AND HEALTH

| BACKGROUNDThis event will focus on a ﬁnancing approach to mobilizing resources for climate and health

The impacts of climate change on health are signiﬁcant and growing. At the same time the health sector is a non-trivial
contributor to national greenhouse gas emissions. More resources clearly need to be secured to tackle these climate-related
health risks and to decouple the climate impact of delivering healthcare. Resources are needed from both the adaptationand mitigation perspectives. There are already interventions and policies that can be integrated into health programmingand scaled to realize the co-beneﬁts when the right ﬁnancing conditions are put in place. This event will focus on two topicalexamples, one with more of a mitigation focus energy and health – and its role in sustainable cooling and solarization, andone with an adaptation and resilience focus – Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response.

| OBJECTIVES
Describe ﬁnancing (including climate ﬁnancing) opportunities to enable action at the intersection of climate andhealthDiscuss examples of where implementation on the ground has been facilitated by availability of suﬃciently timely
and substantial ﬁnancing

| MODERATOR
Tamer Samah Rabie, Lead Health Specialist, The World Bank, United States of America| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mai Farid, Assistant Minister and Executive Director, Economic Justice Unit, Ministry of Finance, Egypt| SPEAKER
Harish Hande, CEO, SELCO Foundation, India
Maria Neira, Assistant Director-General, a.i, Division of UHC/Healthier Popuations and Director, Department ofEnvironment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, Switzerland
Ashlinn Quinn, Research Scientist, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, United States of America
Toomas Palu, Adviser in Global Health, The World Bank, Switzerland
Loreta Rufo, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Climate Investment Funds, The World Bank, United States ofAmericaPriya Basu, Executive Head, Pandemic Fund Secretariat, The World Bank, United States of America

PL 3
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: TAKING ACTION ON THE GROUND

| BACKGROUND

Political opportunities for action in 2022: taking stock of global commitments
The year 2022 presents a great opportunity to mainstream social justice and health in the global environmental agenda,
with far-reaching consequences for the long-term health and resilience of communities and societies worldwide.
In recovering from the global shock caused by COVID-19 - and the resulting damage to livelihoods, health, and sustainable
development – governments are increasingly prioritizing a healthy and sustainable recovery of their economies that takes
into account the broader social, commercial and environmental determinants of health. To encourage a healthy post-COVID
recovery, in May 2020, WHO launched its Manifesto, laying out 6 prescriptions and over 70 actions for achieving moresustainable, just and healthy societies.
Eﬀorts by civil society groups, local communities, and policy makers at various levels have led to the increased recognitionof the interconnections between our planet and our health. This is increasingly reﬂected in international fora, each of which
present essential entry points for more coordinated, transformative change. This section will discuss essential entry points toraise ambition at the global level, examples include: World Health Day 2022 “Our planet, our health” campaign, the UN
convention on biodiversity (CBD) process to develop a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Health argument forclimate action in the lead up to COP 27, the G7 and G20 commitment to the protection, management and restoration of
biodiversity, and an improved understanding of the interrelations between nature, climate and health crises. (G7 2030
Nature Compact, G7 One Health Initiative), The Sao Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health (2021).

Taking action for our planet and our health: Creating opportunities from the ground up (national and local
examples)Investing in basic services can protect the health of the most vulnerable from the risks associated with climate change andnature loss. Investing in well-designed health services, infrastructure, sanitation, clean drinking water, drainage, electricity,and land-rights, can transform development opportunities, reduce inequalities, increase adaptive capacity, and reduce
vulnerability to climate-related risks.
We have the solutions at hand. Priority actions to address the current climate, biodiversity and health crises include:
protecting and restoring nature as the foundation of our health; building health resilience to climate risks; creating energy
systems that protect and improve climate and health; transforming urban environments, transport, and mobility; promoting
healthy, sustainable, and resilient food systems; and ﬁnance a healthier, fairer, and greener future to save lives.

1) Enhancing resilience at the national and local levels through national reporting mechanisms
Country strategies and plans, such as the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and Nationally
Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement, are progressively integrating actions at the nexus of climate change,
environment, biodiversity and health, in order to safeguard and promote livelihoods, wellbeing and climate resilient
development.
Currently, signiﬁcant global environmental settlements do not include many health aspects. Greater inclusion of health in
NDCs (nationally determined contributions) and climate change mitigation policies could simultaneously increase healthbeneﬁts and achieve the "well below 2°C" commitment across a range of regional and economic contexts. The NDCs
Synthesis report by the secretariat found that health was identiﬁed as an adaptation priority in many of the adaptation
components, with relevant policy frameworks and plans described. The importance of building the capacity of healthinstitutions and enhancing information and awareness was highlighted. Enhancing the climate resilience of public healthsystems was a recurring theme, with countries aiming to build or improve related infrastructure.

2) Strengthening multi-sectoral coordination from the ground up: Operationalizing the One Health approach
WHO and the World Health Assembly (WHA) have recognized the role of biodiversity in protecting and promoting humanhealth (WHA A71/11), and has made considerable eﬀorts to integrate environmental determinants in the operationalizationof the One Health approach.
At the global level, WHO is also working with FAO, OIE and UNEP to mainstream a broader understanding of One Health,including through the work of the newly expanded quadripartite alliance for One Health, the recent establishment of the
WHO-IUCN expert working group on One Health, and by developing and ﬁeld testing indicators to mainstream biodiversity
for nutrition and health (e.g. WHO biodiversity workshop, WHO manifesto for a green and healthy recovery from COVID-19).

3) The health sector leading by example
Coordinated action in the health sector itself is also needed, to reduce its environmental and carbon footprint (4.4% of global
greenhouse gas emissions) and build climate-resilient health care. This section will examine health sector leadership towarda low-carbon economy, supported by case studies and examples.

Socio-political, economic and ﬁnancial dimensions
The public health beneﬁts of actions and investments to reverse the climate and biodiversity crises far outweigh the costs.
The health co-beneﬁts from climate change actions are well evidenced, oﬀer strong arguments for transformative change,
and can be gained across many sectors. Eﬀective solutions to reverse nature loss - such as protecting existing forests andother ecosystems, sustainable agriculture and balanced and healthy diets - oﬀer some of the highest potentials for
mitigation and adaptation while also bringing many health beneﬁts.

1) Financing a healthier, more sustainable future
While recent years have sharply increased carbon dioxide levels in the air and global warming, renewable energy sources
continue to grow rapidly, paving the way for future expansion and the development of cleaner energy economies. The
development of clean energy is accompanied in parallel by rebounds in coal and oil use (looping back to the extreme levelsof carbon dioxide), highlighting the need of placing the energy sector at the core of sustainable change and collaborative
action needed to battle climate change and its impacts on human and planetary health, ﬁnding new solutions whilebalancing the rise in demand with a growing global population.
Financial decisions made in the coming months and years can either lock in economic development patterns that will dopermanent and escalating damage to the ecological systems that sustain all human health and livelihoods, or, if wisely
taken, can promote a healthier, fairer, and greener world (WHO 2021). In recovering from COVID-19, ﬁnancial reform will be
unavoidable. By transitioning towards a wellbeing economy that is aligned, ﬁnancial systems would be redirected toprioritise human needs rather than unsustainable economic growth.
Key action points to ﬁnance a healthier, fairer, and greener future to save lives may include:
Stop funding pollution. End harmful subsidies for fossil fuels, both domestically and abroad.
Close the health ﬁnancing gap. Invest in health adaptation and resilience and help close the health ﬁnancing gap.
Ensure public ﬁnance does no harm. Prevent investments in unsustainable and polluting activities that threatencommunities’ health and wellbeing.
Provide debt relief to vulnerable nations. Show global solidarity for those most impacted.

| OBJECTIVESPMAC 2023 Plenary session on the Sub-Theme 3 “Making a diﬀerence: Taking action on the ground” will serve as anopportunity to critically reﬂect on the opportunities for action that are needed to create well-being societies. And it will
exhibit initiatives, case-studies, alternative worldviews and socio-economic models for protecting and promoting health on a
rapidly changing planet. These examples will represent a broad range of actors, sectors, geographies and perspectives andwill highlight the multiple co-beneﬁts of working across sectors for health, social justice, biodiversity and climate change.

| MODERATOR
Agnes Binagwaho, Retired Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda| PANELIST
Omnia El Omrani, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Resident, Ain Shams University Hospital, Egypt
ANDREA MEZA MURILLO, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNCCD, Germany
Keizo Takemi, Member, House of Councillors, Japan, Japan
Vanida Khumnirdpetch, Director of Bureau of Foreign Agricultural Aﬀairs, Oﬃce of Permanent Secretary, Ministryof Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand
Anjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID, United States of AmericaPS 3.1
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

| BACKGROUND

Movement on climate change and health requires political leadership at local, national and global scale. Global pollingshows both that here is solid support for climate action across countries, that health is high on the list of climate change
concerns, and that health professionals are among the most trusted voices in society. To date, however, there has been
insuﬃcient progress through political governance on climate change and health at either global (notably UNFCCC, World
Health Assembly), or national level in most countries.

This session will discuss where political progress has been made at international, national and local level. It will make theconnection between formal political processes and social movements that are mobilizing health and other voices to push for
positive change on climate change and health.

| OBJECTIVES

1. To identify entry points and positive experiences in using health as a positive argument for driving coherent politicalaction on climate change, air pollution, biodiversity and health.
2. To develop a more eﬀective connection of positive climate and health social movements into political and other formal
governance processes.
3. Examine impactful strategies/ lessons that can be brought to climate change from other global political movements i.e
women’s movement, other health movements like HIV.
4. The political consequences of climate change on health

| PANELIST
Roman Vega, Senior Professor in Faculty of Public Health and Health Administration, Pontiﬁcal Javierian University,
Colombia
Vivian Camacho, General Director, Health Ministry, Bolivia
David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, United Nations, Canada
Rita Issa, Medical Doctor, Public Health Academic, and Activist, NHS, University of East Anglia, Lancet Migration,
United Kingdom
Mary Bassett, Commissioner of Health, New York State, United States of America
Maureen Penjueli, Coordinator, Paciﬁc Network on Globalisation (PANG), Fiji
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Head, Climate Change and Health, Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Health (ECH), World Health Organization, France

PS 3.2
TRANSFORMING THE ECONOMY FOR HEALTH EQUITY ANDENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

| BACKGROUND

The direct and indirect relationship between economic activities, health outcomes (equitable or otherwise), andenvironmental sustainability (notably climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution) are no longer in doubt. What remains
contested is whether reforms to our conventional market (capitalist) economy can lead to a ‘green growth’ in which theworld equitably achieves net zero-carbon by 2050; or if the excess consumption of natural goods inherent in proﬁt-driven
market economies poses a systemic threat to the environment and, by implication, human health.
Some of the long- and medium-term ﬁnancing and economic challenges that we face include:
Unsustainable material consumption levels globally by high-income countries and the world’s richest 10%.
The need for material consumption levels to rise in low-income countries and the world’s poorest 50% (generally
through increased equitably distributed models of economic growth) to allow for ethical life expectancies.
The pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine are increasing extreme (and not so extreme) poverty, foodinsecurity/acute hunger, and health inequities. The need for substantial ﬁnancing for mitigation eﬀorts directed to
low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) is greater now than in the years following the 2008 ﬁnancial crisis.
The economic shock from the pandemic and prospects for many LMICs of not recovering to pre-pandemic economic
levels before 2026 have increased indebtedness, with recent inﬂation constraining their ability to fund access toessential health services and invest in green recovery.
There is also concern that we may be poised for new rounds of austerity (ﬁscal contraction), and that new conditional
lending to LMICs for pandemic relief and debt restructuring purposes will further weaken their ability to deal with theeconomic, health, and environmental fallout of COVID and the war in Ukraine.
Policy challenges include:
HICs have yet to pledge and/or fulﬁll the level of commitments required to minimize the severe economic andenvironmental health risks now facing many of the world’s poorer populations. Instead, increasing emphasis is given
to incentivizing private capital investment in climate change initiatives (green energy, mitigation eﬀorts) and healthsystems strengthening. It is important to note that the social impact of green technology investing (if eﬀective)
addresses wealth inequities that arise by dent of who beneﬁts ﬁnancially from such investment.
The pursuit of carbon-neutrality in areas such as national economies and international trade (e.g. through ﬁscal andtaxation policies, carbon-border adjustment measures, and other trade or investment treaty revisions to account fora zero-carbon global economy by 2050) is important; but it must also be aligned carefully with social and healthequity goals.
Carbon taxation and removal of fossil fuel subsidies should be enhanced and deﬁned as also delivering direct healthbeneﬁts from reduced pollution while also increasing governments’ ﬁscal space to invest in health and green
recovery.
There need to be more ﬁnancial institutional commitments to reduce loans to fossil fuel industries or redirect loans togreen energy. Eﬀorts to close tax havens (though improving) are still inadequate, while the commitment of many
countries to ensure a minimum level of corporate taxation has yet to be implemented and fails to account for
equitable allocation of tax beneﬁts.
Radical progressive and redistributive tax reforms (at national and global/intergovernmental levels) are needed toprevent ﬁnancing shortfalls that risk sovereign debt defaults by LICs forced to borrow on global ﬁnancial markets. IMF
increases in special drawing rights holds some potential to reduce sovereign debt defaults but need to be adjusted to
avoid most of the SDR beneﬁts going to HICs and upper-MICs and not to LICs and LDCs where new ﬁnancing needs
are greatest.
The ﬁnancialized economy that led to the 2008 global ﬁnancial crisis was spared dissolution through quantitativeeasing, which was repeated in central bank policies in most HICs in response to the social and economic dislocations
arising from COVID and its public health interventions. In the years following the 2008 crisis little substantive reformto the liberalized global ﬁnancial economy was undertaken, the result being vast amounts of surplus capital
incentivizing private speculative investments and creating asset bubbles. This led to a huge upwards distribution inincome and wealth, with most going to a sliver of elites. Governments must adopt policies that ‘tame global ﬁnance’.
Supply chain disruptions, pandemic-induced savings, and a surge in post-lockdown demand are creating inﬂation andthe real risk of stagﬂation. Corporate proﬁts are increasing in many economic sectors, suggesting that proﬁteering
may also be driving inﬂation and the need for windfall taxes.
The corporate oligopoly in global food markets worsens the growing evidence of new famines and starvation, as foodprices rise beyond the aﬀordability of many of the world’s majority poor. Mass population movements within andbetween countries have not ceased, nor have the xenophobic responses and militarized borders by nations
experiencing ongoing and often increased levels of irregular migration.

The intersecting nature of these crises suggests the need for new forms of economic management tools to achieve the netzero target and a decarbonized economy by 2050 and to do so in a way that preserves biodiversity and avoids further
environmental pollution. Such tools (intergovernmental agreements, policies, regulations, practices) must also be driven by
the goal of reallocating the pre- and redistribution of material resources (and income/capital) within and between countries,
while simultaneously reducing unsustainable levels of consumption by wealthier populations and countries and creatingnecessary consumption (growth) space for poorer groups and nations to achieve ethical life expectancies.

| OBJECTIVES
Identify key tenets of economic ‘health for all’ policies that simultaneously decrease material (income/wealth)inequalities and achieve a safe consumption space protecting both human and planetary health.
Debate the green growth/postgrowth (fair growth) policies in terms of improving health equity and ecosystem system
sustainability at local, national, and global scales.
Describe new ﬁnancing mechanisms (ﬁscal policies, national/global funding programs, lending conditionalities)
relative to achieving health equity and climate change goals and targets.
Identify alternative economic and ﬁscal policies to austerity to reduce the impacts of inﬂation/proﬁteering andrecession on health and human development outcomes.
Discuss best practices in progressive (redistributive and environmentally protective) tax policies and strategies toovercome barriers to their implementation at local, national, and global scales.

| MODERATOR
Hani Serag, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and director, Global Health Partnerships,
University Texas Medical Branch, United States of America
Bridget Lloyd, Advisory Council, People's Health Movement, South Africa| PANELIST
Ravi Duggal, Independent Researcher, Consultant, India
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, President, Club of Rome, Belgium
Ritu Sadana, Head, WHO Secretariat, Council on the Economics of Health for All, WHO, Switzerland
Toomas Palu, Adviser in Global Health, The World Bank, Switzerland| SPEAKER
Ronald Labonté, Professor and Holder of the Distinguished Research Chair in Contemporary Globalization and
Health Equity, University of Ottawa, Canada
Jayati Ghosh, Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States of AmericaPS 3.3
MULTI-SECTORIAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES: MITIGATION

| BACKGROUND

Climate change has complex impacts on people’s health that fall into three broad categories: 1) direct impacts such as heatand extreme events; 2) indirect impacts via ecosystems which include impacts on global food supplies and changes invector-borne disease transmission; and 3) indirect impacts via socio-economic systems exempliﬁed by increased poverty
and intensiﬁcation of existing inequalities and migration. The magnitude of these impacts on health will increase in the
future and their severity will depend on the eﬀectiveness of climate mitigation and adaptation actions. All people areexposed to the hazardous eﬀects of climate change, but some groups are particularly vulnerable such as people living inlow- and middle-income countries, small island nations and other coastal regions, megacities, and mountainous and polar
regions. Other vulnerable groups include children, older adults, and those with underlying health conditions. Many of thesegroups live in higher rates of extreme poverty with few sources of support to adapt to a degraded, and climate-modiﬁedenvironment, let alone deal with the health consequences of these changes.

Main contributors to global climate change are fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes but also agriculture,
deforestation and other land-use changes, transportation, and building energy use. In addition, the health sector is
responsible for 4.6% of greenhouse gas emissions, with 70% coming from the health sector supply chain. Addressing thisemission source is a critical need to meet carbon neutrality. A variety of co-beneﬁts exist by mitigating emissions from thehealthcare sector. Switching to renewable, distributed energy at hospitals and health centers, for example, can reduce GHG
emissions, reduce air pollution, and generate money savings. Such a transition increases energy reliability as well, which canhelp facilities expand health service oﬀerings and refrigerate temperature-sensitive medications.

Evidence suggests that the value of the health beneﬁts of climate change mitigation has the potential to oﬀset most of theinitial mitigation costs. Successful policies and practices to address climate change mitigation and health require systematic,well-planned collaboration and decision-making between relevant sectors.

| OBJECTIVES

The objective of this session is to share practical lessons and innovations for multi-sectoral policies and practices to improveunderstanding of and strengthen multi-sectoral action on climate change mitigation and health across regions, looking at the
impacts of climate on health and the healthcare sector on climate. This session will explore the various potential leverage
points, ﬁnancing mechanisms, and collaborations needed to mitigate climate change, promote human health and well-being,and secure environmentally sustainable healthcare practices, looking toward solutions that enhance justice and equity forvulnerable and underrepresented groups.

| CHAIRS
Douglas Webb, Manager, Health and Innovative Financing, HIV, Health and Development Group, UNDP, UnitedStates of America
Lisha Yang, Coordinator, UNDP, United States of America| MODERATOR
Erica Key, Executive Director, Future Earth US Global Hub, United States of America| SPEAKER
Wijarn Simachaya, President, Thailand Environment Institute, Thailand
Keisuke Nansai, Research Director, Material Flow Innovation Research Program, National Institute forEnvironmental Studies, Japan
Ramon San Pascual, Executive Director for Asia, Healthcare Without Harm, Philippines
Girma Gemechu, Director General, Environmental Protection Authority, Ethiopia
Modi Mwatsama, Head of Capacity and Field Development, Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom

PS 3.4
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: THEIR ROLE IN ADVOCATING TO REDUCE THE
NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

| BACKGROUND

Social movement have played a vital role in the history of public health. They have campaigned for the abolishment ofslavery, the introduction of votes for women, improved sanitation and water in cities, protection of natural environments,and for reproductive rights to name a few examples. Thus these movements have played a very signiﬁcant role in improving
health conditions over many years, in most countries and globally.
There are numerous social movements around the globe that campaign on the issues of climate and health. Somemovements are more focused on protecting the environment for its intrinsic value and other more concerned with actions
directly related to health. Protecting the environment and biodiversity as part of combatting climate change is crucial tohealth because of the increasing evidence that contact with nature and spending time in natural places is good for mental
and physical health. Other social movements are centrally concerned with the impact of climate change on health. This subtheme will consider both types of movements and links between them. Examining the links between health and climatechange social movements is vital because people may be more likely to support action for climate change if they understandthe health issues global warming will give rise to.
This session will also provide opportunities to learn from the experience of earlier social movements that have led to healthychange. The advocacy for treatment rights for people living with HIV/AIDS is a powerful example of such a movement. The
tactics and strategies they used holds lessons for social movements campaigning on climate change and health.
Social movements use many diﬀerent strategies including political lobbying, public protests, social media activism, boycotts,
shareholder activism, petitions, and direct action. Examples of each of these will be highlighted in this session. Most of thetactics are aimed at advocacy for change. The importance of advocacy to public health has been explained as:
Advocacy is necessary to steer public attention away from disease as a personal problem to health as a social issue, and themass media are an invaluable tool in this process. Advocacy is a strategy for blending science and politics with a social
justice value orientation to make the system work better, particularly for those with least resources’ (Wallack et al., 1993, p.
5).

| OBJECTIVESThe session will:
Examine the role of social movements in advocating for climate action
What lessons can we bring in from other health social movements?
Consider the way climate social movements use health arguments in their advocacy
Examine the strategies used by social movement to determine their eﬀectiveness| MODERATOR
Fran Baum, Professor, The University of Adelaide, and Past co-Chair and current member Advisory Council, People's
Health Movement, Australia| SPEAKER
Erika Arteaga-Cruz, PHM ecosystem and health circle / Professor, People´s Health Movement/ Universidad San
Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
Paul Laris, PHM South East Asian and Paciﬁc Co-ordinator and Extinction Rebellion Activist, PHM, Australia
Alexis Benos, Professor of Social Medicine & Primary Health Care, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Bridget Lloyd, Advisory Council, People's Health Movement, South Africa
Maria Kolesnikova, acoactivist, UN Champion of the Earth, Chairwoman at MoveGreen NGO, Kyrgyzstan. Expert inadvocacy and information campaigns on air quality and climate change. Founder of Air Quality Central , MoveGreen,
Kyrgyzstan
Mbali Baduza, Legal Researcher, SECTION27, South Africa
Madhuresh Kumar, activist-researcher, Atlantic Institute, France

PS 3.5
HOW DO WE REDUCE THE IMPACT OF HEALTHCARE ON THE
ENVIRONMENT?

| BACKGROUND

Healthcare is one of the most polluting industries, responsible for nearly 5% of total global greenhouse gases1 andgenerating over a tonne of waste per hospital bed each year2. The COVID-19 pandemic has also greatly exacerbated the useof single-use plastics which have limited potential for recycling.
In this session we look at the opportunities for ‘greening health’ with a focus on real world examples driving change at
global, national and local levels.

| OBJECTIVES

By attending this session you will -Understand the challenge of why we can’t achieve true health without healthy health systems

Hear from a panel of international experts on strategies for implementing policy level change in your health systems
and organisations

See four real world examples of initiatives reducing the impact of healthcare on the environment which we hope will
spreadLearn key strategies on how to build local collaboratives to accelerate how we can make healthcare more green

| MODERATOR
Ashley McKimm, Director of Partnership Development, British Medical Journal, United Kingdom| KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Shweta Narayan, TED speaker & international climate and health campaigner for Health Care Without Harm
(HCWH), Healthcare Without Harm, India| PANELIST
Renzo R. Guinto, Director, Planetary and Global Health Program, St. Luke's Medical Center College of Medicine,Philippines
Nuttapun Supaka, Director of Partnership and International Relations Section, ThaiHealth Promotion Foundation,
ThailandAriel Pablos-Mendez, Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, United States of AmericaPS 3.6
MULTI-SECTORAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES: ADAPTATION

| BACKGROUND

Adaptation action advances climate-resilient communities, ecosystems, and economies, with particular focus on vulnerable
populations – the poor, women, and indigenous peoples. These groups are often the most vulnerable to climate change andare at greater health risk of its impacts. A single shock (e.g. a storm) or slow onset impact (such as sea level rise) can
exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and increase the likelihood of locking communities already at risk into cycles of poverty.
Support to countries to respond to the ongoing impacts of climate change and to prepare for likely impacts, including
uncertainty, in the future, is imperative.

Climate change puts the healthcare system at risk by threatening infrastructure through extreme weather and in meeting
the growing demand for treating climate-induced illness. The integration of climate risks and health into national planningand budgeting processes and strategies through Health National Adaptation Plans (H-NAPs), Vulnerability and Adaptation
Assessments (V&A’s), and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) is also a way of drawing attention to the issue.
This enables countries to align their adaptation planning processes with their national development plans and other existingplanning eﬀorts while ensuring whole-of-society and multi-stakeholder engagement with key institutions, academia, civilsociety, NGOs, and the private sector.

| OBJECTIVES

The objective of this session is to share examples and ideas for multisectoral practices and policies to improveunderstanding of and action on climate change adaptation and health across regions and to discuss challenges andopportunities. We will focus on strategies and interventions to promote health and adapt healthcare systems for climatechange conditions through policy reform, innovation and modeling, national adaptation plans, and early warning detection
systems. Through support to countries on adaptation policy and programming, the intention is to leverage and catalyze
ﬁnancing – domestic public ﬁnance and private ﬁnance – to scale up adaptation action in the context of supporting health.

| CHAIRS
Douglas Webb, Manager, Health and Innovative Financing, HIV, Health and Development Group, UNDP, UnitedStates of America
Sean Leung, Deputy Executive Manager, Charities, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, China| MODERATOR
Gabriel M Leung, Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, China| SPEAKERMontira Pongsiri, Senior Advisor, Climate and Health, Save the Children, United States of America
Giulia Loﬀreda, Researcher, Institute for Global health and development, Queen Margaret University, United
Kingdom
Rudolf Abugnaba-abanga, Deputy chief Nutrition Oﬃcer/PhD Candidate, Presbyterian Church of Ghana HealthService/University for Development Studies, Ghana
Kristine Belesova, Senior Lecturer in Global Population Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Sally Edwards, Program Oﬃcer at PAHO/WHO, WHO, United States of America
Manjit Kaur Sohal, Regional Program Manager for Climate & Health, Health Care Without Harm, Philippines