By Abbas Nazil
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has warned that climate change is already causing illnesses, disrupting essential healthcare services and exposing health workers to increasing risks, calling on governments to strengthen health systems and accelerate investments in climate resilience.
Ghebreyesus said the climate crisis was increasingly becoming a public health emergency, with heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and air pollution threatening communities and healthcare facilities across the world.
He made the remarks on Monday during the COP31 Health Day media conference in Antalya, Türkiye, where he stressed that health considerations must become central to international climate policies and negotiations.
According to him, the effects of climate change are no longer distant possibilities but immediate realities affecting populations, healthcare delivery and the ability of countries to respond effectively to public health challenges.
The WHO chief identified three urgent priorities for addressing the growing health impacts of climate change, including strengthening health systems against climate-related emergencies, translating existing climate and health plans into practical actions and increasing investments in proven interventions.
He explained that countries must develop climate-resilient healthcare facilities capable of maintaining operations during extreme heat, flooding and storms, supported by reliable electricity, adequate water supplies and effective early warning systems.
He also emphasised the importance of resilient medical supply chains and adequately trained and equipped healthcare workers to ensure that essential services remain available during climate-related emergencies.
Ghebreyesus expressed concern that inadequate financing, limited institutional capacity and poor coordination continued to prevent countries from implementing their existing climate and health strategies.
He maintained that addressing the challenges required collaboration beyond health ministries, noting that government decisions concerning energy, transportation, agriculture, food systems, water resources, housing and urban development directly influenced public health outcomes.
He therefore urged ministries of health, finance, environment and energy to work together in planning and allocating resources while ensuring that health priorities were incorporated into national adaptation plans and climate commitments.
The WHO director-general further explained that increased investment in effective climate and health interventions could save lives, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen national economies.
He described climate action as an investment in healthier populations, resilient communities and stronger economies rather than an additional financial burden on governments.
Ghebreyesus also highlighted the Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience as an important platform for helping countries translate climate and health priorities into practical interventions through documentation of successful programmes and knowledge-sharing.
He said the initiative would complement the WHO’s Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), which brings countries and development partners together to establish, renew and report commitments towards addressing climate-related health challenges.
According to him, the Antalya Initiative would provide additional opportunities for countries to exchange experiences, identify effective approaches and adapt successful interventions to different national circumstances.
He added that lessons generated through the initiative would continue under ATACH beyond COP31, allowing countries to sustain cooperation and accelerate the implementation of climate and health commitments.
The WHO chief described the Belém Health Action Plan as an important framework for strengthening climate resilience, urging governments to use COP31 as a turning point for faster implementation of agreed measures.
He called on countries to strengthen the resilience of their healthcare systems while openly sharing their achievements and challenges to help other nations improve their responses.
Ghebreyesus also urged climate negotiators and development financiers to make public health an explicit consideration in climate-related decisions and financing arrangements.
He emphasised that cleaner air, healthier food systems and safer cities demonstrated the immediate health benefits of climate action, calling on governments to recognise public health as a compelling reason to accelerate the global climate response.
He reaffirmed the WHO’s commitment to supporting countries in converting international climate commitments into practical interventions that protect populations, strengthen healthcare systems and improve public health outcomes.
