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COP30, set for November 10-21 in Belém, Brazil, is a crucial chance to spotlight the health impacts of climate change and push forward practical adaptation strategies. Around the globe, millions are already suffering from the health fallout triggered by worsening climate conditions, with the worst effects hitting the most vulnerable populations. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) frequently witnesses these impacts firsthand, providing aid to those grappling with climate-related health crises. According to Dr. Maria Guevara, MSF’s medical secretary, those who contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions bear the heaviest burden, often paying with their lives and health for a crisis they didn’t cause.
In Brazil, the past two years have shown the brutal reality of climate change with intense rains, floods, and landslides in Rio Grande do Sul, leading to hundreds of deaths and displacing many more. MSF responded by deploying mobile clinics, offering medical and mental health services in shelters, and training local staff in psychological first aid. Renata Reis, MSF Brazil’s executive director, stresses the importance of incorporating Indigenous and local knowledge into climate responses, warning against top-down approaches that ignore grassroots wisdom and risk deepening inequalities. This approach is especially vital as the most affected groups often lack reliable access to healthcare — including displaced families, conflict zones, rural communities, the poor, and Indigenous peoples.
Climate change worsens pre-existing social and health inequities. Unpredictable weather patterns increase food insecurity and disease spread. MSF has dealt with the aftermath of cyclones and flooding in places like Mozambique and Madagascar, where diseases like malaria and dengue fever spread more easily thanks to irregular rainfall. These illnesses become deadlier when combined with malnutrition, as seen recently in northern Nigeria. Prolonged droughts limit water access, forcing people into risky livelihoods, such as informal mining in Zimbabwe, where MSF helped identify and address contaminated water sources.
For many communities, even basic health advice, like staying hydrated, is impossible to follow due to lack of safe drinking water. Floods in urban areas with poor sewage systems can trigger outbreaks of cholera and diarrhea, highlighted by recent events in Haiti. Dr. Guevara points out that these impacts accumulate, disproportionately affecting communities with limited resources to respond effectively. MSF is adjusting its operations to better tackle these challenges and calls for improved early detection systems that integrate weather and epidemiological data, enabling faster and more effective responses.
At COP30, countries must commit to more ambitious climate goals. So far, slow progress on emission reductions has worsened global warming and threatens living conditions worldwide. The urgency to act cannot be overstated. Dr. Guevara emphasizes the need for concrete financial and technical support to help the most affected countries improve health systems and resilience. MSF advocates for a stronger focus on health and humanitarian perspectives in climate talks, ensuring that adaptation strategies are accessible to all and do not widen existing inequalities. Current funding levels for climate adaptation fall far short of actual needs, which only deepens disparities between wealthy and vulnerable nations.
