PMAC 2023

Setting a New Health Agenda – at the Nexus of Climate Change, Environment and Biodiversity



26 - 29 January 2023
Centara Grand at Central World, Bangkok, Thailand

The triple planetary crisis, three interconnected crises – ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution’ are putting global health and well-being at risk. They undermine opportunities to reduce poverty, ensure intra- and inter-generational equity and improve lives, and they complicate the response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Addressing and acting on the nexus of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation would reduce the risk of current and new health threats, creating a more promising and healthy future for coming generations and not leaving the most vulnerable groups behind.1 There are salient opportunities for maximizing health co-benefits by addressing inter-linkages and common grounds of social and planetary dimensions for future human- and planet sustainability, creating multi-level conversations and actions to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda.

The Prince Mahidol Award Conference is a powerful global multi-stakeholder platform that can enable complex dialogues, stimulating inter-sectorial and interdisciplinary collaboration among countries, sectors and disciplines, sending positive signals for scaling up efforts to tackle these converging crises, and to improve human and planetary health. PMAC 2023 offers a unique opportunity to address the Triple Planetary Crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) and Triple Billion global health burden of people lacking access to health care, needing enhanced protection from health emergencies, and falling behind health and wellbeing metrics.
 

The format of PMAC allows deeper dives into several fields within the nexus of climate, biodiversity, pollution and health, with a strong emphasis on policy and private sector accountability and initiatives at all levels; global, national, regional, and community levels. Active engagement with politicians and other decision-makers, academia, and the business sector at this level, PMAC 2023 aims to stimulate action-oriented discussions and pave a strong foundation for collaborative action and decision-making regarding climate, environment and biodiversity for optimal health outcomes.
 

Slide for more sub-themes

Sub-theme 1   Addressing the Nexus of Climate Change, Environment, Biodiversity, and Health Emergencies


The triple planetary crisis, three interconnected crises ‒ climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss‒ are putting global health and well-being at risk. They undermine opportunities to reduce poverty, ensure intra- and inter-generational equity and improve lives, and they complicate the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the prevention of another infectious disease pandemic. Vulnerable populations and areas with already weak health infrastructure are at most risk, often without the capacity to prepare and respond to the impact of these interconnected crisis.

Acknowledgement of the health–environment nexus, our scientific understanding of the crises and the common urgency to act upon them are growing. But the relationship between health, climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss is complex, and there is an urgent need to understand these complexities to create policies of mitigation and adaption to their direct and indirect relations. Over 4 million people die prematurely each year from outdoor air pollution. Two-third of which can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels, a direct driver of climate change. The energy sector is responsible for almost three-quarters of the emissions that have already pushed global average temperatures 1.1 °C higher since the pre-industrial age , highlighting the energy sector’s place at the core of sustainable change, finding new solutions while balancing the rise in demand with a growing global population.

At high levels, leaders have signalled an interest in shifting global activities toward more integrated and inter-disciplinary work at the climate, biodiversity and health nexus. However, to address the triple crisis with their interactions with and implications for health we need systemic change, swift actions and innovative solutions from all sectors and all levels of society.

 

Framework

A holistic approach to planetary and human wellbeing is provided by Kate Raworth's "Doughnut Economics" model. Raworth’s model builds on Rockström’s planetary boundaries by combining social and planetary boundaries, taking a systematic approach for future sustainability for human and planetary health, questioning the need for traditional economic growth to re-focus on more sustainable policies for all. According to the doughnut economic model the environmentally safe and socially just space in which humanity can thrive lays between social and planetary boundaries. In addition, the world is home to the largest generation of youth in history whose future is increasingly uncertain. We must ensure that they are given the opportunity to actively participate in decision-making processes and to hold decision makers accountable.

Key Questions

The World We Want: What does an environmentally safe and socially just space for humanity look like? How can the health sector strengthen the social foundation and at the same time reinforce the ecological ceiling to create/nurture an environmentally safe and socially just space for humanity?


1International Energy Agency (2021) World Energy Outlook 2021. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2021
2 Raworth, K. (2017). A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: humanity's compass in the 21st century. The lancet planetary health, 1(2), e48-e49.
3 Rockström et.al. (2009) Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecology and society, Vol.14, Issue
4Steffen et.al. (2015) Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, Vol 347,Issue 6223

Sub-theme 2   Challenges and Opportunities: Overcoming Challenges and Harnessing Opportunities for Health at the Biodiversity Climate Nexus


Unabated biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution are the leading global health challenges of our time. Our dysfunctional global food system is at the heart of this “triple planetary crisis” and holistic multisectoral approaches to health, such as One Health and planetary health, are at the heart of solutions to bridge the persistent and growing health challenges they pose. At the same time, ecosystem-based approaches, or nature-based solutions, that embed health co-benefits offer essential opportunities to meet the adaptation and mitigation commitments set out in the Paris Agreement and post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, when combined with food system transformation, technological innovation, a green energy transition and the necessary socio-political and economic conditions to achieve equity and social justice.

Objectives

This sub-theme aims to take in-depth look at the common drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, and the impact of these environmental determinants, coupled with social, political and economic determinants on health outcomes. It will focus both on underlying systemic challenges at this nexus and key opportunities to overcome them in the path toward sustainable transformational change. It will further seek to catalyze health leadership, from local to global levels, by drawing on existing evidence and knowledge through more coordinated, ambitious and inclusive multi-sectoral approaches to inform evidence-based policies and actions. It will also seek to identify key opportunities to maximize health co-benefits and minimize trade-offs at the biodiversity-climate nexus, and to build both social and ecological resilience, and resilient health systems and societies, in the face of global environmental change.

Sub-theme 3   Making a Difference - Taking Action on the Ground


Political Opportunities for Action in 2022: Taking Stock of Global Commitments

The year 2022 presents a great opportunity to mainstream social justice and health in the global environmental agenda, with far-reaching consequences for the long-term health and resilience of communities and societies worldwide.
In recovering from the global shock caused by COVID-19 - and the resulting damage to livelihoods, health, and sustainable development – governments are increasingly prioritizing a healthy and sustainable recovery of their economies that takes into account the broader social, commercial and environmental determinants of health. To encourage a healthy post-COVID recovery, in May 2020, WHO launched its Manifesto, laying out 6 prescriptions and over 70 actions for achieving more sustainable, just and healthy societies.
Efforts by civil society groups, local communities, and policy makers at various levels have led to the increased recognition of the interconnections between our planet and our health. This is increasingly reflected in international fora, each of which present essential entry points for more coordinated, transformative change. This section will discuss essential entry points to raise ambition at the global level, examples include: World Health Day 2022 “Our planet, our health” campaign, the UN convention on biodiversity (CBD) process to develop a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Health argument for climate action in the lead up to COP 27, the G7 and G20 commitment to the protection, management and restoration of biodiversity, and an improved understanding of the interrelations between nature, climate and health crises. (G7 2030 Nature Compact, G7 One Health Initiative), The Sao Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health (2021).

Taking Action for Our Planet and Our Health: Creating Opportunities from the Ground Up (National and Local Examples)

Investing in basic services can protect the health of the most vulnerable from the risks associated with climate change and nature loss. Investing in well-designed health services, infrastructure, sanitation, clean drinking water, drainage, electricity, and land-rights, can transform development opportunities, reduce inequalities, increase adaptive capacity, and reduce vulnerability to climate-related risks.
We have the solutions at hand. Priority actions to address the current climate, biodiversity and health crises include: protecting and restoring nature as the foundation of our health; building health resilience to climate risks; creating energy systems that protect and improve climate and health; transforming urban environments, transport, and mobility; promoting healthy, sustainable, and resilient food systems; and finance a healthier, fairer, and greener future to save lives.

Socio-political, Economic and Financial Dimensions

The public health benefits of actions and investments to reverse the climate and biodiversity crises far outweigh the costs. The health co-benefits from climate change actions are well evidenced, offer strong arguments for transformative change, and can be gained across many sectors. Effective solutions to reverse nature loss - such as protecting existing forests and other ecosystems, sustainable agriculture and balanced and healthy diets - offer some of the highest potentials for mitigation and adaptation while also bringing many health benefits (see WHO COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health: The Health Argument for Climate Action).

The sub-theme will be structured around three cross-cutting issues:

(1) Addressing intersecting crises and political opportunities at the global level;
(2) National and local opportunities to maximize health outcomes
(3) Socio-political and economic dimensions: Financing a healthier, greener future.

Objectives

This sub-theme 3, “Making a Difference: Taking Action on the Ground” will serve as an opportunity to critically reflect on the opportunities for action that are needed to create well-being societies. And it will exhibit initiatives, case-studies, alternative worldviews and socio-economic models for protecting and promoting health on a rapidly changing planet. These examples will represent a broad range of actors, sectors, geographies and perspectives and will highlight the multiple co-benefits of working across sectors for health, social justice, biodiversity and climate change.

PMAC 2023 International Organizing Committee

Name Position Organization, Country Role
Dr. Vicharn Panich Chair, International Award Committee Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, Thailand Chair
Ms. Catherine Russell Executive Director United Nations Children's Fund, USA Co-Chair
Ms. Winnie Byanyima Executive Director Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Switzerland Co-Chair
Dr. Naoko Yamamoto Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage and Health Systems Cluster World Health Organization, Switzerland Co-Chair
Dr. Juan Pablo Uribe Global Director for Health Nutrition and Population The World Bank, USA Co-Chair
Mr. Haoliang Xu Assistant Secretary General and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme United Nations Development Programme, USA Co-Chair
Dr. Marijke Wijnroks Head, Strategy, Investment and Impact Division (SIID) a.i. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Switzerland Co-Chair
Dr. Osuke Komazawa Senior Director, Human Development Department Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan Co-Chair
Dr. Atul Gawande Assistant Administrator for Global Health United States Agency for International Development, USA Co-Chair
Dr. Barbara J. Stoll President China Medical Board, USA Co-Chair
Dr. Naveen Rao Senior Vice President & Senior Advisor to the President, Health Initiative The Rockefeller Foundation, USA Co-Chair
Dr. David Harper Senior Consulting Fellow, Global Health Programme Chatham House, United Kingdom Co-Chair
Dr. Fran Baum Co-Chair Global Steering Council People's Health Movement, Australia Co-Chair
Dr. Rintaro Mori Regional Adviser (Population Ageing and Sustainable Development) United Nations Population Fund, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Peter Friberg Co-founder and Director Swedish Institute for Global Health Transformation, Sweden IOC Member
Dr. Shannon Larsen Senior Program Officer Development Policy and Finance Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA IOC Member
Dr. Teo Yik Ying Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health National University of Singapore, Singapore IOC Member
Dr. Ashley McKimm Director of Partnership Development British Medical Journal, United Kingdom IOC Member
Dr. Timothy Mastro Chief Science Officer FHI 360, USA IOC Member
Mr. Mohamed Eissa Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), Egypt IOC Member
Dr. Dennis Carroll Chair, Leadership Board Global Virome Project, USA IOC Member
Dr. Jesse Bump Executive Director of the Takemi Program in International Health and Lecturer on Global Health Policy Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA IOC Member
Dr. Udom Kachintorn Former Deputy Minister Ministry of Education, Thailand IOC Member
Mr. Thani Thongphakdi Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Kiattibhoom Vongrachit Permanent Secretary Ministry of Public Health, Thailand IOC Member
Mr. Danucha Pichayanan Secretary General National Economic and Social Development Council, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Supat Vanichakarn Secretary General Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Jadej Thammatach-aree Secretary General National Health Security Office, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Nopporn Cheanklin Director Health Systems Research Institute, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Supreda Adulyanon Chief Executive Officer Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Banchong Mahaisavariya President Mahidol University, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Prasit Watanapa Dean, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt Dean, Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Piyamitr Sritara Dean, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert Vice Chair International Health Policy Program Foundation and Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Foundation, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien Senior Advisor International Health Policy Program, Thailand IOC Member
Dr. Walaiporn Patcharanarumol Director, Global Health Division Ministry of Public Health, Thailand IOC Member
Mr. Gerardo Zamora-Monge Executive Officer, Office of Assistant Director-General, Division of UHC/Healthier Populations World Health Organization, Switzerland Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Toomas Palu Advisor in Global Health The World Bank, Switzerland Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Mandeep Dhaliwal Director, HIV, Health and Development United Nations Development Programme, USA Member & Joint Secretary
Ms. Debora Comini Deputy Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office United Nations Children's Fund, Thailand Member & Joint Secretary
Mr. Taoufik Bakkali Regional Director ai, Regional Support Team Asia and the Pacific Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Thailand Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Scott Stewart Senior Health Economist, Bureau for Global Health United States Agency for International Development, USA Member & Joint Secretary
Ms. Shoko Isokawa Director, Human Development Department Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Phuong Nhan Le CMB SE Asia Regional Representative China Medical Board, Thailand Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Charlanne Burke Director, Integrated Operations, Health Initiative The Rockefeller Foundation, USA Member & Joint Secretary
Ms. Bridget Lloyd Steering Committee People's Health Movement, South Africa Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Thananya Boonyasirinant Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thaland Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Churnrurtai Kanchanachitra Professor Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Thailand Member & Joint Secretary
Dr. Rapeepong Suphanchaimat Director International Health Policy Program, Thailand Member & Joint Secretary