Jonathan Frederic De Santos

A child gets a Complete Blood Count test to check for dengue fever  at the Potrero Super Health Center in Malabon City on July 15, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Raphael Bosano

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17631749020111763174900247.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="A child gets a Complete Blood Count test to check for dengue fever at the Potrero Super Health Center in Malabon City on July 15, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A child gets a Complete Blood Count test to check for dengue fever at the Potrero Super Health Center in Malabon City on July 15, 2022. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>BELÉM, Brazil — The impacts of extreme weather as a result of our rapidly changing climate is not confined to flooding, devastation and damaged property.</p><p>Everywhere in the world climate change impacts the very core of individuals especially those living in the most vulnerable countries — their health.</p><p>As the UN Climate Change conference stretches towards the end of the first week, the World Health Organization and the government of Brazil launched the Belém Health Action Plan with the main goal of improving and strengthening health systems of countries as they confront the climate crisis.</p><p>According to the 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report, indicators of health-related threats in relation to a warming earth have reached very high levels. Among them the rise in heat-related deaths. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2025/11/13/climate-disinformation-a-growing-threat-countries-agree-on-information-integrity-1147"><strong>Climate disinformation a growing threat; countries agree on information integrity<br/></strong></a></div><p>“Deaths have surged 23% since the 1990s, now exceeding half a million deaths per year. Vulnerable are hit the hardest. Young children, the elderly and people with preexisting health conditions,” said Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). </p><p>“These are not statistics, they are families, communities and futures already paying the price of global heating.”</p><p>Droughts and extreme heat has also put over 124 million people all over the world at risk for moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/12/cardinal-david-climate-change-is-also-an-issue-of-morality-1242"><strong>Cardinal David: Climate change is also an issue of morality</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>WHAT&#x27;S THE PLAN?</strong></div><p>As the world’s first climate adaptation document that zeroes in on health, the Belém Health Action Plan is said to integrate adaptation, equity and climate justice by strengthening the adaptation of a country’s health sector.</p><p>The document highlights that in order to achieve climate-resilient health systems countries must improve climate-informed health surveillance, harmonize climate-health adaptation strategies, and strengthen climate-resilient infrastructure and services among others.</p><p>With the Belém Health Action Plan serving as a blueprint for countries, Stiell says what needs to happen now is “well-coordinated and well financed action to turn its promises into protection for all.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2025/11/12/filipino-climate-activists-at-cop30-say-loss-and-damage-not-enough-1307"><strong>Filipino climate activists at COP30 say loss and damage ‘not enough’<br/></strong></a></div><p>He adds, some 35 philantrophic organizations have initially committed $300 million. The amount said to be used for research to accelerate solutions in areas where they are most needed.</p><p>The Climate and Health Fund Coalition will focus on turning the action plan into real-world results with the hopes of improving lives globally.</p><p>“This work will prioritize the real challenges that people face, such as extreme heat, air pollution, infectious diseases, mental health and food insecurity. Because humanity can only win this global climate fight if we connect stronger climate actions to people’s top priorities in their daily lives,” Stiell said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CLIMATE-RELATED ILLNESSES BECOMING THE NORM<br/></strong></div><p>In the Philippines where weather cycles are becoming more and more erratic, climate-related illnesses have become second nature.</p><p>Following twin typhoons that ravaged the country in a span of a week, the Department of Health cautioned provinces to be on the lookout of what they call W.I.L.D diseases (waterborne diseases, influenza-like illnesses, leptospirosis and dengue).</p><p>Dengue alone, a vector-borne disease endemic to the Philippines, has infected almost 16,000 just a couple of weeks before Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi). </p><p>In August this year, cases of leptospirosis were considerably high following days of severe flooding. </p><p>The rise in cases inevitably strained public health facilities and their human resources for health so much so that some hospitals have had to pull out staff from other departments because of the sheer lack of personnel.</p><p>In 2022, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) also flagged the growing health crisis in the eastern and southeastern portion of the archipelago following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette (Rai).</p><p>The Department of Health (DOH) says because the Philippines has always been at risk to climate-induced health problems, measures have been developed to cushion further impacts. These were put to further test following the recent back-to-back typhoons.</p><p>Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo explains climate-resilience is being integrated in DOH programs particularly in the construction of health facilities.</p><p>“Dapat pag nagtayo ng RHU or ng super health center, dapat multi-storey yan. Una sa lahat, dapat pipili ng lugar na as much as possible, hindi binabaha. At gagamit siguro tayo ng ating mga risk hazard maps. Yung mga risk mapping na ginagawa nung Project NOAH at iba pang mga gumagawa,” he said. </p><p>(When rural health units or super health centers are constructed, the should be multi-storey. As much as possible they shouldn’t be constructed in flood-prone areas. We will also mostly like use hazard maps and risk maps similar to those being generated by Project NOAH and others.)</p><p>And because floods are becoming more and more unpredictable in terms of its height and the speed at which it rises, triangle roofs would most likely be ditched.</p><p>“Kasi ang reality of climate change, binabaha tayo na mas madalas. So, dapat may space yung ating health facilities kung kailangan para umakyat sa taas at komportable, ready for rescue and evacuation kung magyari.”</p><p>(Because the reality of climate change is now we experience floods more often. So there should be space in our health facilities to allow those trapped in a building to head to higher portions like rooftops in order to be rescued.)</p><p>Domingo said the DOH was supposed to be part of the Philippine helegation at the climate negotiations in Belém but the agency&#x27;s representative had to stay in the country given the threat of Super Typhoon Uwan — proving just how extreme weather from climate change affects global activity.</p><p>The Belém Health Action Plan may just be the guide many countries need in this era of pronounced climate change. But its success will greatly depend on how fast and effective countries can protect communities from a rapidly warming world.</p><p>As climate change is expected to exacerbate health impacts, the time has come for countries and citizens of the world to take urgent and appropriate action. </p><div><br/></div><div><em>This story was produced as part of the COP30 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews&#x27; Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.</em></div>

<p>Everywhere in the world climate change impacts the very core of individuals especially those living in the most vulnerable countries — their health.</p>

Everywhere in the world climate change impacts the very core of individuals especially those living in the most vulnerable countries — their health.

Another first: Health Action Plan launched at COP30 to help countries achieve climate resilient health systems

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Another first: Health Action Plan launched at COP30 to help countries achieve climate resilient health systems

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 15, 2025 10:52 AM PHT

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