How Social Prescribing Can Power Climate Action at COP30

11 November 2025

Global Social Prescribing Alliance (GSPA) November 10–21, 2025 | Belém, Brazil

As the world gathers for the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, we face a defining moment for both people and the planet. Amid global fatigue and geopolitical division, COP30 offers an opportunity to restore trust, cooperation, and commitment—and to turn climate and health pledges into real action.

At the Global Social Prescribing Alliance (GSPA), we recognise that the climate crisis is fundamentally a health crisis. Every decision made on emissions, ecosystems, and resilience directly affects our wellbeing, our communities, and our shared future. Social prescribing—connecting individuals to non-clinical community-based support—offers a powerful framework for tackling the root causes of ill health and fostering environmental and social resilience.

“The climate crisis is a health crisis — and social prescribing gives us the tools to act locally while thinking globally. By connecting people, communities, and nature, we can restore health, build resilience, and create the sustainable futures we all depend on. At COP30, we have the opportunity to put health at the heart of climate action — where it belongs.” — Gareth Presch, CEO, Global Social Prescribing Alliance

💬 Why This Matters

While much of the action at COP30 happens inside the negotiation halls, influence extends far beyond. From media coverage to grassroots movements, the stories we tell during COP30 will shape how people understand the vital connection between climate and health.

Whether you’re attending COP30 in person or supporting from afar, your voice matters. By communicating with a shared purpose, we can show global leaders that a healthy planet means healthy people, and that health-centered climate action is essential for the wellbeing and livelihoods of everyone, everywhere.

🗓️ Health at COP30: When and Where

Health will feature prominently at COP30, even without a formal negotiating track:

12–13 November – Health-themed days spotlighting the Belém Health Action Plan, focused on strengthening the integration of health in climate policy.
14 November – A rich programme of events hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighting the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH). 2025 also marks a critical milestone—the deadline for countries to submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), outlining their commitments to the Paris Agreement. It’s essential that these NDCs embed health as a pillar of resilience, prevention, and adaptation.

🌡️ Key Messages: Climate and Health

The climate crisis is the greatest health threat of the 21st century—but also our greatest opportunity for healing.
Fossil fuels harm human health from cradle to grave: polluting air, contaminating water and soil, and driving disease and heat stress.
Every genuine climate action—reducing emissions, restoring ecosystems, strengthening adaptation—is also a public health intervention.
Health is not a ‘co-benefit’ of climate policy—it is the measure of success.

🩺 At COP30, We Call for:

Phasing out fossil fuels, starting with the highest emitters—because there are limits to adaptation.
Embedding health and equity across the Global Goal on Adaptation indicators and just transition frameworks.
Delivering finance, technology, and capacity so developing countries can protect health equitably.
Protecting integrity and trust in the COP process by ending fossil fuel interference and disinformation.

💡 How You Can Get Involved

Share stories that highlight how climate action improves health—from cleaner air and greener cities to community resilience.
Use unified messaging across platforms: 👉* “The climate crisis is a health crisis.” �� “Health is the measure of climate success*.”
Tag #COP30 #ClimateHealth #SocialPrescribing #HealthyPlanetHealthyPeople in your posts.
Engage healthcare professionals, policymakers, and communities in conversations about prevention, connection, and resilience.

🌿 In Summary

COP30 is more than a conference—it’s a call to action. Through social prescribing, we can build bridges between health systems, communities, and the environment, demonstrating that wellbeing and sustainability go hand in hand.

By acting together, we can ensure that climate action heals—people, planet, and prosperity alike.

Let’s speak with one voice at COP30, because protecting the planet is prescribing for health.

We are proud to partner with leading global health agencies worldwide, including the Climate and Health Alliance, to advance a shared vision of a healthy, sustainable planet.