6.E. Round table: Governance and diplomacy of climate health adaptation: roles for public health community
Authors:   Organised by: EUPHA-PHPP, EUPHA-ENV, EUPHA-CHR, EUPHA-PHMR,   Chair persons: Marleen Bekker (EUPHA-PHPP), Marija Jevtic (EUPHA-ENV)
Published: October 2021

Planetary health is the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends. (The Lancet commission on planetary health). Climate change puts planetary health under considerable strain. Climate health adaptation is defined as ‘designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating strategies, policies and programs to manage the risks of climate-relevant health outcomes' (WHO 2014). This workshop focuses on the perspective of governance, focusing on three basic coordination issues. Firstly, since climate health adaptation is a relatively new issue, it has not (yet) been organised into laws and regulations assigning clear responsibilities, capacities and resources. As a result, proponents turn to the judiciary for litigation of nation states' compliance with international agreements. Secondly, since climate problems manifest themselves across national borders and continents, there is a need for multilevel governance that requires both local community-based action as well as supranational agreements in resolutions and programs (= vertical coordination). Thirdly, since climate change affects many environmental and social health determinants, such as food systems, migration and water management, climate health adaptation requires a Whole of Society/HiAP approach. Necessary action extends far beyond the health system across different policy sectors, large and small businesses, civil society organisations as well as community initiatives (= horizontal coordination). As a result of these complexities, climate health adaptation rarely reaches the stage of actual policy implementation and goal achievement.

This workshop aims to:

explore existing literature on planetary health for issues, experiences and possible solutions to the governance and organisation of health adaptation to climate change; introduce principles, methods and institutional examples of multilateral and multilevel governance for planetary health; present examples of early arrangements and strategies for the vertical and horizontal coordination of climate health adaptation to climate change. (EU Green Deal program; Climate Pact; regional climate platforms; climate diplomacy).

The workshop consists of three short presentations followed by an interactive panel discussion. After 30 minutes the floor is opened by means of a Mentimeter with which the audience can actively engage in the debate, as well as entering their questions, comments and suggestions through available facilities for interaction. The workshop will end with identifying the current and future necessary roles, responsibilities, capacities of the public health researchers, policymakers, and professionals for climate health diplomacy, network management, and setting up arrangements that offer stable rules for integrative action across different sectors, levels and borders.

Key messages

We can learn from policy sciences about how climate health adaptation can be organised by multilevel governance (vertical coordination) and Whole of Society governance (horizontal coordination). Working transdisciplinary, public health workers needs to develop skills for climate health diplomacy, network management, and setting up arrangements that offer stable rules for integrative action.