Panelists today made an impassioned plea for urgent climate action at the World Health Organization (WHO) as a strategic roundtable on the role of health communities in the fight against climate change: taking stock and moving forward at the World Health Assembly. "The most pressing reasons for urgent climate action are the health impacts, not in the future, but right now," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, as he opened today's Strategic Round Table. “The climate crisis is a health crisis that is fueling epidemics, contributing to higher rates of non-communicable diseases and threatening to overwhelm our health workforce and health infrastructure. Climate change is emerging as one of the greatest health challenges of the 21st century. It brings more deadly extreme weather events, increases non-communicable diseases and facilitates the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. In addition, it affects our health workforce and infrastructure, while reducing the capacity to achieve universal health coverage, which is the core objective of WHO's mandate. Further delay in action will greatly increase the risks to our health, undermine decades of improvements in global health, and run counter to our collective commitments to ensure the human right to health for all. In an engaging speech, Dr. Maria Neira revealed three challenges facing the healthcare community. The initial and most important challenge involves addressing the diverse health consequences that stem from the climate change crisis while emphasizing the need to protect human well-being. The second challenge revolves around building resilient health systems that can effectively handle the complexities of the 21st century and ensure optimal health care delivery in a constantly evolving environment. Finally, Dr Neira highlighted the health benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon society, illustrating the critical interplay between environmental sustainability and human well-being. (WHO)

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