Environment, Climate Change and Health

We pursue a healthier environment by strengthening health sector leadership, building mechanisms for political and social support and monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals regarding environmental threats to health.

About us

Technical areas of work

Air Quality, Energy and Health

Chemical Safety and Health

Children’s environmental health

Climate Change and Health

Healthy urban environments

Occupational health

Radiation and health

Water Sanitation and Health (WASH)

Settings & populations

Highlight

13 November 2025

COP30 Health Day

News

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16 December 2025

Departmental update

WHO highlights health risks and opportunities in the global waste crisis

8 December 2025

Departmental update

Global experts convene in Vienna to discuss radiation protection in medicine

14 November 2025

WHO and Brazil urge swift action on Belém Health Action Plan at COP30

31 October 2025

WHO calls for a new era of strategic urban health action with global guide to unlock healthy, prosperous and resilient societies

Speech

1 December 2025

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 1 December 2025

Features

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Donors making a difference: refugees and migrants

Events

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16 December 2025 00:00 – 16:00 CET

Throwing away our health - Launch webinar for the WHO global report on solid waste and health

14 November 2025 13:15 – 14:45 Brazil Time

COP30 UN High-Level Event "The Belém Health Action Plan: Accelerating Action on Climate Justice and Health"

13 November 2025

COP30 Health Day

Commentaries

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20 November 2025

World Toilet Day: Protecting health through safe sanitation

Videos

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13 October 2025

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action 2025 - message by Ruediger Krech, Director

23 October 2021

WHO’s Science in 5: Lead poisoning prevention

One in 36 Million: Story of Childhood Lead Poisoning in Bangladesh - 2023 "GRAND PRIX" Better Health and Well-being

health for all - film festival student prize

Our strategy

WHO global strategy on health, environment and climate change: the transformation needed to improve lives and wellbeing sustainably through healthy environments

The new strategy is timely – it responds to and is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the GPW13.

Calls for

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20 October 2025

Expression of interest

Calling for expressions of interest from host institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean to accelerate heat action in that region

Call for proposals

Call for event proposals at the COP30 Health Pavilion (closed)

Publications

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Prioritizing food safety issues related to chemical water quality in agrifood systems

Reliable access to safe and sufficient water is critical to food security and protecting public health. However, water systems face unprecedented pressure...

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Health risks of air pollution in Europe: HRAPIE-2 project: updated guidance on concentration–response functions for health risk assessment of air pollution in the WHO European Region

Air pollution remains the leading environmental health risk both regionally and globally, contributing to reduced life expectancy and a wide range of noncommunicable...

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WHO strategic approach on air quality, energy access and health

WHO, as the coordinating authority on international health, supports countries in protecting public health through evidence-based policies and actions....

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Aide Memoire Lead thumbnail

Aide mémoires are briefings on key topics in the area of environment, climate change and health. Their objective is to support whoever works...

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Infographics highlight

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Lead exposure: early signs

Lead exposure: long-term impacts

What is lead?

Fact: Lead is toxic

Tools

AIDE-MÉMOIRES: Briefs by environment, climate change and health topic for country action

Essential information to support action

Air pollution and health training toolkit for health workers (APHT)

A set of materials designed to enable health workers, in both the clinical and public health fields, to understand the health risks of air pollution and identify risk reduction measures.

Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment

Global repository of interventions for creating healthier environments and improving health. It provides an overview and easy access of 500 actions, and a framework for thinking about health and environment interventions.

Graphic banner of the Health and Environment scorecards

Health and environment country scorecards

The Health and environment scorecards aim to provide a quick snapshot of where countries stand on managing six major environmental threats to health: air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate change, exposure to chemicals, radiation, and occupational health.

HEAT tool for walking and cycling

Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for walking and cycling: HEAT for walking and cycling is a user-friendly, web-based tool used to estimate the health and economic impacts of increased walking and cycling.

Doctors attend to patients in the COVID-19 ICU of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. They are among the first Filipinos to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country

Occupational hazards in the health sector

This e-tool is intended for use by people in charge of occupational health and safety for health workers at the national, subnational and facility levels and for health workers who want to know what WHO and ILO recommend for the protection of their health and safety

SunSmart Global UV App

Free application for mobile devices that describes the level of solar UV radiation at a specific location. It also provides time slots when to apply sun protection measures, in an effort to reduce the global burden of skin cancer and UV-related eye damage.

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WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury

The WHO/ILO Joint Estimates quantify the number of deaths and amount of health loss (disability-adjusted life years or DALYs) caused by occupational risk factors.

Children under solar panels

WHO Manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19

WHO prescriptions for a healthy, green recovery from COVID-19 that will help steer governments towards a healthier, fairer, and greener world.

Our work

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Promoting biodiversity conservation for climate and health

Raising awareness on ultraviolet radiation

Boosting climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services

Building capacity on climate change and human health

Campaigns and initiaves

thermometer on orange sky background

Flagship Initiative against extreme heat and related environmental health risks in workplaces and major events

Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH)

BreatheLife: A global campaign for clean air

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2025

WHO – WMO Joint Climate and Health Programme

Q&As

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Electronic waste: Digital dumpsites and children’s health

Chemical safety: Lead poisoning

Air pollution: Reducing short-lived climate pollutants

WHO’s Fifth WHO Air Quality Database of over 6000 Cities

Chemical safety: Pesticides

Fact sheets

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16 December 2025

Household air pollution

24 October 2024

Mercury

Electronic waste (e-waste)

27 September 2024

Lead poisoning

Facts in pictures

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13 September 2024

Children's environmental health

E-waste and Child Health

Urban Health Initiative: Accra story

10 chemicals of public health concern

Health topics

Chemical safety

Children's environmental health

Environmental health

Health impact assessment

Occupational health

Radiation emergencies

Ultraviolet radiation

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)