Global Climate and Health Alliance, OHCHR to Host May 19 Fossil Fuels Rights Event
Updated
Updated · Health Policy Watch · May 15
Global Climate and Health Alliance, OHCHR to Host May 19 Fossil Fuels Rights Event
2 articles · Updated · Health Policy Watch · May 15
May 19 will bring a Geneva and Zoom event co-hosted by the Global Climate and Health Alliance and OHCHR on fossil fuels, health and human rights, timed around the World Health Assembly.
The push frames fossil fuels as the root cause of the climate-induced health crisis, linking their full lifecycle to air, water and soil pollution, extreme heat, disease and millions of premature deaths each year.
Health advocates argue governments are still subsidizing that harm: fossil fuels received an estimated US$725 billion in public subsidies in 2024, while air pollution costs the global economy about US$8.1 trillion annually.
Fifty-seven countries representing one-third of the global economy recently agreed at the Santa Marta conference to develop roadmaps to end fossil fuel use, but advocates say health was largely absent from the final text.
The broader aim is to push WHO member states to treat fossil fuels like other health-harming products, using tools such as conflict-of-interest rules, health impact assessments and subsidy reform.
How can the world phase out fossil fuels without harming developing nations' economies?
Can health arguments defeat the fossil fuel industry's deep economic influence?
As AI demands more power, will it derail the global fossil fuel phase-out?
Health, Human Rights, and the Fossil Fuel Transition: Outcomes from Geneva’s May 19, 2026 High-Level Event
Overview
On May 19, 2026, a high-level event in Geneva, co-hosted by the Global Climate and Health Alliance and the UN Human Rights Office, will bring together the global health community to focus on the urgent links between health, human rights, and the transition away from fossil fuels. This event, held during Geneva Health Week and just before the World Health Assembly, highlights that climate change is not only an environmental issue but a serious public health emergency. By centering health and human rights in climate discussions, the event aims to address the direct harms of fossil fuels and ensure these concerns are prioritized in future global policies.