COP29: Key takeaways for health and travel

Health and travel featured on the COP29 agenda, but critics lamented the lack of solid action agreed upon

The tale of COP29 was one of many twists and turns: the re-election of Donald Trump just days before the climate talks began overshadowed proceedings which dragged overtime until a last-gasp finance deal was finally struck. For the worlds of travel and health, the most significant outcome will likely be the indirect impacts of the headline-grabbing finance deal, as states will use these newly acquired financial flows to implement adaptation and mitigation policies related to health and travel. Additionally, there were several events and discussions that examined travel, tourism and health. These gave rise to some commitments and declarations that, though non-binding, will provide a basis for further action in the future. Let’s unpack some of these events and explore the impacts they might have on health and travel. 

Health and the climate crisis: 

As extreme weather events increase and temperatures continue to rise, one thing is clear: the climate crisis is also a crisis of health (Health is the Argument for Climate Action).  Higher levels of food insecurity from drought, floods and displacement, increased prevalence of infectious diseases, and disruptions to service delivery all have a direct impact on health. Beyond the obvious causal connection between health and the climate, there are other ways that the climate crisis can affect health through creating or exacerbating a climate of insecurity. In Somalia and South Sudan, for example, droughts and resulting resource pressures have worsened conflicts and instability (Sudan faces one of the worst famines in decades, warn UN experts).  

$300bn annual climate finance by 2035

The tendrils of this crisis have a particularly tight grip on those least responsible for causing it. For climate adaptation and mitigation approaches to be successful, they must place those most vulnerable at their centre. The pronouncement of a deal wherein $300bn in annual climate finance will be provided by 2035 has implications for travel and health, particularly in areas where the effects of the climate crisis are felt most acutely. Whether this amount will be sufficient for developing countries to confront their impending challenges remains to be seen, but many viewed the pronouncement as too meagre a contribution, while others argued it was an insignificant change compared to forecasted flows (Analysis: Why the $300bn climate-finance goal is even less ambitious than it seems - Carbon Brief). But as climate finance is directed from the Global North to the Global South, people and health-centred adaptation and mitigation policies will likely be implemented to build resilience among ecosystems and populations, impacting in myriad and uncertain ways the landscapes of health and travel. For example, 20 African states announced a Declaration on Climate and Health in Africa as part of a unified effort to combat the adverse health effects of climate change. Finance secured through COP negotiations will be used to combat the increasingly recognised adverse health impacts of climate change.   

The headline-grabbing finance deal at COP29 will impact health and travel indirectly as developing states implement adaptation and mitigation policies 

Health Day 2024

In addition to the climate finance deal agreed during the dying hours of the COP29 summit, there were several other events that addressed the linkage between climate and health more directly.  COP29’s Health Pavilion, hosted by the WHO and the Wellcome Trust, convened key stakeholders across the health sector to facilitate a series of events dedicated to placing health at the centre of climate negotiations. Prior to the summit, the WHO published its “Special Report on Climate Change and Health – Health is the Argument for Climate Action”, calling for future-proofed health systems and a restructuring of the economy away from extraction. Though this report does not entail any direct action, it represents the increased importance of health on the climate agenda, laying the foundations for action going forward. 

Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health

Azerbaijan, Brazil, Egypt, the UAE and the UK all signed a letter of intent uniting the five previous and upcoming COP host states to integrate health into climate policies. The coalition explored principles for operationalising climate finance and strengthening country-level collaboration for health. The talks, however, did not result in any significant health agreements or policies, drawing frustration from representatives, civil society and other people hoping for solid climate-health action.  

Travel and the climate crisis: 

The carbon-intensive aviation and tourism industries have long been subjects of scrutiny during climate negotiations. Events at this year’s COP29 proved no exception, as the Thematic Day on Tourism featured a series of roundtables and agreements that sought to raise the climate ambition of the industry (UN Tourism).  

Operationalising Article 6.4’s carbon mechanism

COP29 made a step towards outlining the carbon market mechanisms under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement (COP29 Azerbaijan). Increased clarity over the rules governing the voluntary carbon market will likely lead to a significant increase in the size of the market and, therefore, the size of financial flows directed at states of the Global South who undertake carbon sequestration projects. Though it remains unclear the extent to which tourism and aviation will be incorporated into states’ NDCs, it is probable that the industry will continue to operate but with stronger commitments to emissions abatement.   

Balancing sustainability and tourism

The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities continues to occupy a central position as states attempt to strike a balance between the urgent need to cut emissions from tourism, which accounts for 3% of global GDP and 8.8% of emissions and predicted to increase (The Carbon Brief; COP29 Declaration on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism), with the needs of developing states whose economies depend on tourism.  

Promoting greener travel

While many critics have lamented the lack of action from COP29, proponents have lauded the launch of two initiatives: the COP29 MAP Declaration for Resilient and Healthy Cities and the COP29 Declaration on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism, to which 50 states have offered endorsements. Additionally, state and other actors became signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. Though there are no solid measures outline in these declarations, they provide the foundations for states to cooperate on promoting sustainable tourism and creating greener, healthier cities.   

It's clear that the climate crisis has far-reaching consequences for health and travel. The COP29 negotiations, though, only rhetorically confronted some of the more pressing issues at the nexus of climate, travel and health, potentially laying the foundations for more solid action going forward.