Health Voices for Equitable Phaseout of Fossil Fuels

Health professionals focus on addressing public health concerns at the root cause. As the main contributor to climate change, we have a responsibility to use our trusted voice to advocate for a just fossil fuel phase-out. This timely discussion will bring together health leaders and civil society experts across diverse regions, including Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East to discuss the urgent need for the health community to speak with one voice to renounce the continued expansion of the fossil fuel industry, for the sake of our patients, our climate, and future generations.

This event will feature a panel that showcases efforts of healthcare workers supporting movements globally to advance an urgent phase out of fossil fuels and manage a just transition towards a clean energy future. How health professionals can advocate for country-level commitments to a fossil-fuel phaseout, such as through the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, will be discussed. Further, actionable examples will be provided of how health professionals can drive institutional, systems, and policy change around fossil fuel phaseout through partnerships that center impacted communities. The session will conclude with a clear call-to-action for health institutions and professionals globally to commit to fossil-free policies and endorse frameworks that prioritize equity, ethics, and justice in a just energy transition.