However, the most significant moment of the last COP was the shift in narrative and the beginning of recognition of the critical link between climate change and human health. The inclusion of a special day on climate and health at COP28 is evidence of the growing recognition of the relationship between the well-being of our planet and our personal health. As humanity becomes increasingly aware of the inextricable relationship between our actions and their environmental consequences, the connection between the health of our planet and personal well-being has never been more evident. Oil, coal and plastics – crucial players in human development – have become agents of our environmental demise. Oil makes us sick, coal makes us short of breath, and plastic seeps into our waterways and breaks down into harmful microplastics that end up in our bodies and blood. The human race's dependence on fossil fuels poses a huge challenge to our collective health and the health of this planet. (Jemilah Mahmood)