This is a news item from UCL's Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering
About the report
Researchers from the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE) have played a key role in the COP30 Special Report on Health and Climate Change, launched on Health Day during the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil.
Presented by the Ministry of Health of Brazil and the World Health Organization (WHO), the report provides the evidence base for the Belém Health Action Plan (BHAP) - a new global framework for strengthening the health sector’s resilience to climate change, with a strong focus on health equity and climate justice.
Prepared by the Centre for Sustainable Medicine at the National University of Singapore in collaboration with experts from around the world, the report sets out a roadmap for building climate-resilient health systems, moving from evidence to implementation.
IEDE’s contribution
Professor Mike Davies was invited to serve on the Expert Advisory Group for the report and brought together an IEDE team to contribute their expertise in systems thinking, environmental health, and the built environment.
The team of researchers led by Professor Davies - Dr Jiayu Pan, Dr Giorgos Petrou, Dr Charles Simpson, Dr Clare Heaviside, and Dr Phil Symonds - delivered Chapter 6 of the report: ‘Limits, Synergies and a Systems Approach’. Their work was conducted as part of the PAICE project funded by the Wellcome Trust.
About Chapter 6: Limits, synergies, and a systems approach
The chapter (pages 92 - 102) explores the limits and constraints to health adaptation, recognising that some challenges cannot be overcome, regardless of financial resources or political commitment. It examines how adaptation and mitigation efforts can work together, identifying health co-benefits that arise from actions to limit global heating - such as improved air quality and more resilient communities.
By adopting a systems approach, the chapter highlights the need to integrate health, environmental, and social considerations across policy and planning. This perspective helps to ensure that adaptation measures are effective, equitable, and sustainable, while maximising their contribution to both health protection and climate goals.
A global call to action
The report underscores the urgent need for coordinated action. Climate change is already affecting health and well-being worldwide, widening inequalities and testing the capacity of health systems. However, it also presents an opportunity: decisive, collective action can deliver lasting benefits - creating stronger, fairer, and more sustainable societies.
The interventions outlined in this report are not theoretical; they are implementation-ready and demonstrably effective. The cost of inaction will be counted in escalating disease burdens, economic losses, and irreversible harm; the benefits of action will be felt across generations. Health is where the climate crisis becomes real – and where the solutions begin.