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30th October 2024

Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: 2024 UK Policy Brief Identifies Key Health Priorities for COP29

On October 30, 2024, the Lancet Countdown published the 8th annual report on health and climate change, offering the most current analysis of how climate impacts human health globally. Timed for release just before the 29th UN Conference of the Parties (COP29), the report provides governments and policymakers with crucial evidence to address the health impacts of climate change. 

The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC) has developed the Lancet Countdown UK policy brief, created in collaboration with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical Association, and the UK Kidney Association. The brief highlights three critical priorities for the UK: reducing air pollution, protecting populations from extreme heat, and advancing a low-carbon, climate-resilient healthcare sector.

The key recommendations are:

The policy brief is accompanied by a country datasheet for the UK. 

As COP29 approaches, the report serves as a vital call to action, urging leaders to prioritise financing climate action with maximum health co-benefits to foster healthier, more resilient societies.

Investing in climate action is an investment in public health. We’re already seeing the devastating effects that air pollution and heatwaves are having on the population’s wellbeing.

Investing in climate action is an investment in public health. We’re already seeing the devastating effects that air pollution and heatwaves are having on the population’s wellbeing. All of this puts extra and unnecessary pressure on the NHS at a time when our services are already stretched to the limit. Ensuring our health service is resilient to the impact of climate change must be prioritised, alongside action to reduce its carbon emissions. We hope this report acts as a wake-up call to the Government to protect our planet and public health, both now and for generations to come.
Prof David Strain, Chair of the BMA’s Board of Science