The French Ministry of Health, under France’s G7 Presidency, and the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a high-level Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) meeting in Paris on 25 June, bringing together health ministers, government representatives, and global partners to strengthen action on climate and health.
Held during a record 41°C heatwave in Paris, the meeting underscored the growing health impacts of climate change. Delegates reaffirmed commitments to integrating health into climate policies, strengthening international cooperation, and building climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems.
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Her Excellency Dr Stéphanie Rist, Minister of Health, Families, Independence, and People with Disabilities, France, said, “The exceptional heatwave currently affecting France and several European countries serves as a reminder of the urgency of our meeting. Our discussions have enabled us to go further, moving from acknowledging the urgency to establishing a diagnosis, and from the diagnosis to identifying priorities and the means to act. All health systems are already facing the consequences.”
Discussions focused on France’s “One Health & Beyond” declaration, which promotes embedding health considerations into national climate strategies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). ATACH also presented updates on its operational strategy and outlined priorities for its next phase.
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Dr Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Head of the Climate Change, Air Quality and Energy Unit at WHO said, “We’re all experiencing this heatwave, but it isn’t just a one-off event. It’s absolutely clear that these kinds of events we are now experiencing around France and around the world are part of the pattern of what we have done by putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.”
Representatives from several countries, alongside organizations including Health Care Without Harm, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the Lancet Countdown, highlighted the need for stronger financing, health system transformation, supply chain decarbonization, and cross-sector collaboration to address the health impacts of climate change.
