Health at the centre of climate change negotiations: critical achievements from the COP28 Health Programme

The impacts of climate change on health are irrefutable. More than 3.3 billion people reside in parts of the world that are highly vulnerable to climate change and face significant health risks as a result [1]. The direct costs to health are estimated to be between US$2–4 billion per year by 2030 [2]. Over the past decade, the health community has rallied behind the call that climate change is both the greatest threat to and opportunity for human health in the 21st century [3]. We heed the words of warning from global health leaders who describe the modern addiction to fossil fuels as an act of environmental vandalism and self-sabotage