Climate change is becoming a matter of life and death for health systems – UN Climate Chief
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has warned that climate change is increasingly threatening healthcare delivery, with extreme heat, flooding, power outages and disrupted transport putting patients and health workers at risk.
He says climate impacts are no longer simply environmental concerns but can determine whether patients receive timely medical attention and, in some circumstances, whether they survive.
Speaking during the Health Day Ministerial Roundtable Meeting at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 9, 2026, Mr Stiell said climate-related pressures were exposing weaknesses in health systems, particularly in vulnerable communities.
“A ward grows hotter. The power flickers. A refrigerator holding medicines fails. Floodwater enters a well. A mother in labour finds the road to the clinic cut off,” he said.
He said, in these moments, climate change is not measured on a chart. It can be the difference between life and death.
He called for health to be placed at the centre of climate action, arguing that countries must strengthen healthcare systems to withstand the growing effects of climate change.
Climate risks and maternal health
Mr Stiell drew attention to the implications of extreme heat for maternal and newborn health, describing pregnancy and childbirth as an emerging fault line in the climate crisis.
He referred to data from Wellcome, which he said showed that almost every maternal-health professional surveyed across a range of countries had cared for a pregnant woman or baby whose health they believed had been affected by extreme heat.
The UN Climate Change Executive Secretary said the findings highlighted the difficulties faced by pregnant women and newborns in environments where access to cooling facilities was limited.
“You can’t 'stay cool' when there is no cool place to go,” he said.
He explained that climate risks could worsen existing weaknesses in healthcare systems, turning power interruptions, staff shortages and long journeys to medical facilities into serious threats to patient care.
Calls for climate-resilient health facilities
Mr Stiell urged governments to make healthcare resilience a central consideration in their national adaptation planning.
He said national adaptation plans should address whether clinics could remain operational during heatwaves, maintain access to safe water after floods, detect disease outbreaks early and ensure that vulnerable populations receive the healthcare they need.
He also called for health ministries to participate from the beginning in developing national climate plans, aligning health-sector priorities and monitoring implementation.
According to him, health-sector adaptation plans should reinforce national adaptation plans rather than operate separately from them.
He further advocated country-led programmes to strengthen healthcare facilities through reliable clean electricity, adequate supplies of safe water, improved disease surveillance, early-warning systems and training for health workers.
Adaptation finance and the transition from fossil fuels
The UN official also called for increased climate adaptation financing, particularly for countries facing significant climate-related health risks but with limited financial resources.
He said the COP30 call for efforts to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035 must translate into actual financial flows reaching countries with the greatest needs.
However, Mr Stiell cautioned that adaptation alone would not be sufficient to protect health systems against the consequences of continued global warming.
“No health system can be made resilient to an endlessly warming world,” he said.
He called for a faster and fairer transition away from fossil fuels, alongside efforts to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency.
According to him, reliable clean electricity can help keep healthcare facilities operational, while cleaner air can reduce the number of people requiring medical attention.
Antalya Health Accelerator Initiative
Mr Stiell also highlighted the Antalya Health Accelerator Initiative as an opportunity to translate climate and health commitments into practical interventions.
He said the initiative could help connect political leadership, international cooperation and financing with national health priorities, using existing country systems rather than creating parallel structures.
He further pointed to the next Global Stocktake as an opportunity for countries to demonstrate the progress made in implementing their climate commitments.
He said progress should be reflected in stronger healthcare facilities, better-equipped health workers, effective early-warning systems and lives protected.
“Health is where climate policy becomes human reality,” he said.
He urged ministers attending the roundtable to ensure that health considerations were integrated into climate planning, financing decisions and the measurement of progress.
The meeting formed part of COP31 activities in Antalya, where governments and other stakeholders are discussing climate action and the implementation of existing commitments.
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