The influence of health concerns in scientific and policy debates on climate change

Introduction

In 2009, scientists argued that climate change was the 'biggest global health threat of the 21^st century',1 and 6 years later 'the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century'.2 While a minority of populations may experience health benefits (mostly due to a reduction in diseases related to cold weather), the global burden of disease and premature death is expected to increase progressively.3 For instance, one study showed that heat-related deaths would be expected to rise by around 257% by the 2050s from a current annual baseline of approximately 2000 deaths.4

Much of the policy development on climate change comes from the negotiations between the 195 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), working towards a common long-term vision of limiting global warming.

The 21th Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in December 2015 was...

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