# Citation Willetts, E., Grant, L., Bansard, J., Kohler, P. M., Rosen, T., Bettelli, P., & Schröder, M. (2022). Health in the global environmental agenda: A policy guide. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/ publications/health-global-environment-agenda-policy-guide # Executive Summary The world in 2022 faces: • A triple planetary crisis of environmental degradation in the form of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. • A Triple Billion global health burden of people lacking access to health care, needing enhanced protection from health emergencies, and falling behind health and wellbeing metrics. ## Key findings 1. **Environmental governance is health governance** 2. **Speaking the same language.** Health professionals need to understand the architecture of global environmental agreements before they can influence how to change and enhance them. 3. **Health science and environmental policy must interface**. Data and decisions need to connect more clearly. The environmental science–policy interface needs the evidence-based experience of the health sector, and terminology must be harmonized. 4. **Health actors are expert stakeholders**. Most decision-making does not happen at the annual conferences. Health actors and organizations should participate in relevant intersessional bodies where substantive issues are discussed and prioritized, and health technical expertise is sorely needed. 5. **National implementation is global implementation**. A binding global treaty is only effective if countries fulfill its mandate. Health data is an important indicator for monitoring the effectiveness of environmental regimes. 6. **Health considerations must inform planning**. Guidelines on issues such as air and water quality, diet, and pollution should be reflected in environmental assessments and influence national plans for climate change, biodiversity, and other issues. ## Health-Environment Nexus: The case for connection 1. Facilitate a common understanding and build a bridge between health and envrionmental sectors on global environmental governance. This guide focuses on four things: biodiversity, climate change, pollution, and food systems. 2. Multi-sectoral health governance. ==Health governance models generally view public health outcomes as being achieved solely through the health sector.== However, health sector policies cannot comprehensively address all elements that determine human health, while non-health institutions and sectors are unfit to manage the externalities they produce. A more effective model would include health and non-health actors in public health decision making and implementation, and the adoption of a holistic perspective. 3. Policy Shift into the Health-Environment Nexus. At a high level, leaders have signalled an interest in shifting global activities toward integrated and cross-disciplinary work at the health nexus. Across the UN system, MEAs, and international environmental organizations, there are opportunities to advance dialogue and action to build this nexus. Moreover, adoption of the human right to a healthy environment is a step forward to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building common agendas. 4. The Way Forward. Decisions in these MEAs can contribute to reducing disease burdens. Health participation means informed engagement at the heart of debate in both global health and global environmental forums. Health data should inform national plans across MEAs and be informed by environmental science–policy bodies. “A unique aspect of pollution governance is that these international agreements are equally concerned with protecting human health and the environment.” (“Health in the Global Environmental Agenda”, p. viii) “Reducing pollution in the health sector is also a priority. Pharmaceutical pollutants and pollution from medical waste take a great toll on the health of our ecosystems but are not currently sufficiently governed under the chemicals conventions.” (“Health in the Global Environmental Agenda”, p. viii)