GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that it was time for formal negotiations on health at the COP climate summits, saying the climate crisis was also a health crisis.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, was at the United Nations’ ongoing COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil, last week, where he advocated for health to be more prominent in climate change discussions.

“Health is the most compelling region for climate action, but for too long health has been a footnote in climate negotiations,” Tedros said at a press conference in Geneva.

“It’s much easier to convince people of the urgency of protecting their own health or that of their children than to protect glaciers or ecosystems. Both are important; one is a lot closer to home.”

He said today will be the dedicated health day at COP30, when its hosts Brazil are to announce a climate change adaptation plan focused on health, with actions to help countries prepare their health systems and respond to health impacts.

“The climate crisis is a health crisis,” Tedros said.

The WHO’s environment and climate change chief Rudiger Krech added that “while we have seen a lot of health discussions at the COP, we have not yet seen a formal place for negotiations on health”.

“It is high time that health becomes an issue for formal negotiations, and we hope to see this at COP31 next year,” said Krech.