COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, put public health at the centre of climate policy. Health officials, climate negotiators, and civil society met to make health one of the summit’s ten main priorities.
Opening on 9 November with a dedicated Health Day, the summit underscored the accelerating toll of environmental breakdown on human wellbeing. Speaking at a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) press conference in Antalya, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell warned that the climate crisis has become “a global health crisis of pandemic proportions”. According to WMO data presented at the conference, 2026 ranks among the four warmest years on record, with global temperatures from January to September averaging 1.47 °C above pre-industrial levels and northern summer heatwaves claiming an estimated 50,000 lives across Europe.
COP31 launched the Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience to turn political commitments into action. The platform, working with the WHO Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, helps countries share expertise, document case studies, and carry out the Belém Health Action Plan from COP30.
At the Health Day Ministerial Roundtable, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros called on governments to include health in their climate plans and expand funding for medical infrastructure. WHO analysis shows that scaling up six key climate-health actions, such as clean energy and heat warning systems, could save 1.6 million lives each year and return $24 for every dollar invested. Air pollution causes about seven million early deaths each year. 3.5 billion people live in areas highly exposed to climate risks.
For health cooperatives worldwide, the discussions in Antalya reinforce the urgency of community-led environmental action. Operating both as business enterprises subject to market dynamics and as civil society organisations mobilising for the collective good, health cooperatives balance economic viability with social and environmental sustainability. Their democratic governance and local accountability foster community trust, active participation, and the long-term stewardship of natural resources, which is essential for reducing healthcare carbon footprints and building local resilience against climate shocks.