13th June 2025
The Global Action Plan (GAP) on Climate and Health was adopted following a vote of member states at the World Health Assembly (WHA) on 27 May. Key strengths of the GAP include a call for member states to integrate health into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and to integrate climate into national health strategies, policies and plans; a strong focus on maximising the health co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation activities across different government sectors; and a commitment to engage communities and civil society organisations in the development, implementation and evaluation of climate and health strategies. Adoption of the GAP is a welcome step in governments recognising and responding to the role climate change plays in determining health outcomes. It is disappointing the GAP contains no mention of fossil fuels as reduction in fossil fuel use is a critical driver for delivering better health outcomes.
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News and updates
Scotland’s carbon budget published
The Climate Change Committee published their first carbon budget for Scotland to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. The pathway sets out the pace of change required across different sectors of society that would bring multiple benefits for households including cleaner air, lower energy costs, warmer homes, and more nutritional diets along with wider economic benefits for Scotland. Click here to read our summary of key takeaways.
Health workers call for urgent government investment in home insulation
On 28 May, Health professionals, renters and campaigners came together outside the Department of Health and Social Care demanding urgent government funding for home insulation. Health workers also delivered an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which was coordinated by Medact and signed by UKHACC and several of our members, urging the government to home its election promise to reduce energy bills and allocate at least £13.2 billion to a nationwide Warm Homes Plan in the spending review.
UKHACC calls on Scottish health minister to say no to new oil and gas
In a letter signed by multiple UKHACC members, health leaders have called on the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to speak out against the Rosebank and Jackdaw oilfields due to the significant health risks they pose. The health leaders say these oil and gas fields would be at odds with Scotland’s ambition to be net zero by 2045 and NHS Scotland’s plans to focus on prevention.
Economists say no trade off between climate action and economic growth
In a letter delivered to the offices of the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, leading environmental economists from the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and the London School of Economics and Political Science say that with careful policymaking, there is no trade-off between climate action and economic growth.
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Have your say
Ask Steve Reed to deliver strong ocean action
This week world leaders are meeting at the UN Ocean Conference. UK government ministers are there and this is an opportunity to show them that British people want the ocean protected – our UK seas are on the verge of collapse, less than half of UK fishing limits are sustainable, and up to 90% of marine protected areas are threatened by bottom trawling. Write to Steve Reed to ask for international leadership and domestic action.
REAL Change for a Better Britain
A new campaign calling on the government to deliver REAL change has launched 650 open letters – one for every UK constituency – calling on the PM to bring back the Climate and Nature Bill. With rising energy bills, poor housing, and vanishing green spaces, it’s clear: we were promised change, but action on climate and nature has fallen short. We deserve a nature-rich, low-carbon future – cheaper bills, warmer homes, clean air and rivers, well-paid green jobs, food security, and thriving green spaces. Join 70,000+ others demanding REAL Change. Sign and share your open letter today at action.zerohour.uk.
Call for government action on Dieselgate
Ten years ago, the Dieselgate scandal revealed that the use of illegal defeat devices was making diesel cars much more polluting on the road compared to official laboratory tests. Since then, a wealth of evidence has emerged that the use of defeat device technology is an industry-wide problem and millions of illegally polluting diesel cars are still on our roads today, cutting lives short and damaging our children’s health. Lawyers at ClientEarth have produced a template to write to your MP to demand government action.
Sign the fossil free health communications pledge
The Global Climate and Health Alliance is calling on health organisations to sign a commitment to no longer work with PR and ad agencies that also provide service to the fossil fuel industry. The Break the Fossil Influence – Fossil-free Health Communications campaign was launched at the World Health Assembly in May with a number of influential organisations signing up including The Lancet, Medicins Sans Frontieres, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and many others. GCHA has produced this guidance for organisations making the commitment.
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Opportunities/Get involved
Clean Air Day 19 June 2025
Join the GOSH Walk and Wheel on Clean Air Day 2025. Led by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Global Action Plan, alongside health professionals and clean air campaigners, the walk&wheel will go from GOSH to Parliament Square to call on policymakers to take bold action on air pollution and deliver clean air for healthy lives. Click here to sign up. If you’re not able to join the walk&wheel there are other ways to get involved in Clean Air Day: GAP has produced this comms pack and ‘write to your MP’ e-ask.
Act Now, Change Forever: Registration open
Thousands of people from across the country will be heading to Westminster on 9th July, and we want to ensure as many health voices are part of it. Join us for Act Now, Change Forever – the most impactful climate and nature lobby in history. Together we’ll be calling on MPs to protect what matters most: our health, our nature, our communities, our climate and our future.
This mass lobby of Parliament, organised by The Climate Coalition will bring people face-to-face with their MPs to ask for action on the things that matter:
- Vital funding for communities already hit hardest by climate change here and around the world
- Fair investment that cuts bills, backs UK jobs and strengthens local economies
- Action to restore nature, protect our health, and build a future that’s safer, fairer and healthier for all
This is your chance to help shape the future, not just for today, but for generations to come. Sign up now and join this movement Act Now, Change Forever – The Climate Coalition. You’ll receive training, support and guidance every step of the way.
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Events and courses
Climate, environment and mental health forum
In person at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London E16 1ZE | 10.45-13.00 Wednesday 18 June
The 8th meeting of Thrive LDN’s Climate and Environment and Mental Health Action Forum focuses on communities most impacted by climate and health injustices. It brings together Londoners together from across sectors and communities to explore how climate action and mental health intersect – and how we can work together for a more just, inclusive, and resilient future. Contact benjamin.rossington@nhs.net if you would like to attend.
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Growth in a changing climate: event series
All events at Imperial College London
11.00-13.00, Thursday 19 June 2025: Economic opportunities in climate resilience
11.00-13.00, Thursday 3 July 2025: Protecting workers and productivity in a changing climate
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Global Climate and Health Summit
16-17 July 2025 | QEII Centre, London (free event)
This summit organised by The Physiological Society and supported by Wellcome will convene researchers, policymakers and climate experts to tackle the health challenges posed by climate change. The summit is free to attend with travel support available to early career researchers, and enhanced support for those in low- and middle-income countries. Find out more.
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Forum on climate and societal futures
16-18 July 2025 | University of Leeds
An influential multi-disciplinary conference organised by the Priestly Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds, dedicated to advancing the use of socioeconomic scenarios in addressing some of the most complex and interconnected challenges of our time. Find out more.
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LONDON CLIMATE ACTION WEEK
From global evidence to local action on climate and health
9.30-14.00 Friday 27 July 2025 | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Session 1: Health as the driver for sustainable cities (9.30-11.00)
During London Climate Action Week, UKHACC is joining forces with LHSTM, C40 Cities and University College London will focus on health as a driver for sustainable cities, highlighting opportunities for and examples of city leadership on climate and health in the UK and globally.
Session 2: The imperative for action on super-pollutants (11.30-13.00)
Hosted by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and LHSTM, this session will to dive into the latest science, tools and strategies for tackling super pollutants and delivering immediate benefits for climate, clean air, and public health.
The sessions will be followed by a networking lunch. Register here.
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Course: Protecting children from climate health threats
Save the Children International and The Geneva Learning Foundation have launched a free course to help policymakers, health workers and the interested public protects children from climate health risks. Based on Save the Children’s policy brief – Our common ambition: Prioritising children’ s health amidst the climate crisis – the course connects participants with health professionals from over 80 countries to share practical solutions. Register here.
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New resources
CMO Scotland annual report: Critical Connections
The 2024-25 annual report from the CMO for Scotland discusses the principles which enable careful and kind care, what we can do to support healthy ageing and encourage greater upstream prevention, how connection to nature can enhance both our own and our planet’s wellbeing, and the importance of relational continuity. Read the report here.
State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2025
A new report by the Woodland Trust says that UK woodland is in no fit state to withstand an escalating range of threats or fulfil its vital role in mitigating the climate and nature crisis. But, there are reasons to be optimistic – woods in good condition have also been proven to bring benefits to our health and wellbeing, and with the right support we can still bring our woods back from the brink, for public health and wildlife. Read the report here.
Investing in climate for growth and development
A new report by UNDP and OECD shows how: Scaling up renewables can be blueprints for economic prosperity and sustainable developmental Avoiding the cost of inaction can boost countries to get ahead; Delivering on climate goals should be a win-win not a trade off Read the report here.
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Articles, podcasts and videos
We’ve pulled together a list of recent articles, podcasts and videos worth reading, watching, listening and sharing.
- This new academic paper – The low-carbon fruit tree for primary care – outlines 19 actionable initiatives primary care teams can implement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower healthcare costs, prevent avoidable ER visits, and improve patient and planetary health.
- This interview with the Chair of the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition explains how the Sustainable Markets Initiative is helping make healthcare more sustainable
- This paper in Environment Research Letters about the global health impact of cars and trucks running on fossil fuels presents a pathway for avoiding 1.4 million new cases of asthma in children and 1.9 premature deaths in 2040.
- In this podcast the Food Foundation discuss some of the questions asked in their latest report: How much meat are we eating? Where does our meat come from? How does our meat compare to other countries?
- A new report by the Fraser of Allander Institute examines inequalities in air pollution exposure across Scotland and calls for targeted national air quality targets to better protect deprived communities and prioritise those most affected by dirty air.
- This Guardian article reports on evidence from the World Meteorological Organization that there is an 80% chance that global temperatures will break at least one annual heat record in the next five years, raising the risk of extreme droughts, floods and forest fires.
- This report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change outlines the imperatives of de-fossilising our economies.
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