Experts urge WHO to declare climate change international public health emergency

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Geneva: Experts and former world leaders have urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare climate change an international public health emergency.

The Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health, led by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir, argues that current international health regulations are insufficient to handle the scale of environmental threats.

By designating climate change as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO would trigger the global coordination necessary to protect populations from heatwaves, floods, and infectious diseases.

The commission warned that treating the crisis as a ‘chronic background condition’ has delayed vital action and investment.

Declaring an emergency would prioritize climate health on national security agendas and force immediate system adaptation. Experts emphasize that the financial and human costs of continued inaction far outweigh the investment required for global mitigation.