ANHE at COP28 Recap: Making Strides Towards a More Sustainable Future 🌍
What a ride! We’re still buzzing with excitement from COP28. Here’s a quick recap of our time there:
- The number of health professionals that attend COP – including nurses – continues to grow
- The first-ever Health Day at a UN Climate Conference took place at COP28
- Over 140 countries committed to milestone ‘Declaration on Climate and Health’
- While we did see language in the final outcome signaling the end of the fossil fuel era, there was no agreed upon commitment to a full phase out of fossil fuels, a critically urgent step towards protecting people’s health, and a failure to commit to strong targets for adaptation to build resilient systems capable of protecting vulnerable people.
Global Participation: With 85,000 participants from 198 countries, COP28 truly became a global hub for environmental engagement. With your support, ANHE was able to send five of our own representatives!
Insightful Panels & Presentations: COP28 brought together government leaders, the private sector, business, and folks across civil society to provide invaluable insights, enhancing our understanding of critical climate and health issues and viable solutions. Top of discussion was the focus on a fast, fair, and just fossil-fuel phaseout.
Educational Sessions: ANHE was able to host our own side event: “A Healthy Response to Climate Change: Community/Health Partnerships for Climate and Health Equity” in partnership with the Children’s Environmental Health Network, International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation, Indian Youth for Society, and Global Climate and Health Alliance. ANHE Director of Programs, Cara Cook and ANHE Executive Director, Katie Huffling, both spoke on panels providing a nurse perspective on climate and health solutions.
Community-Building Success: The climate and health community presence at COP continues to grow. ANHE collaborated with the US Climate Action Network and the Global Climate and Health Alliance in our advocacy towards including health-centered principles and solutions in COP decision making.
