COP30 must yield concrete results to address health effects of climate change – Doctors Without Borders

Report on the Humanitarian Impact of the Climate Emergency and its Intersection with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: The Climate Crisis as a Humanitarian Emergency

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) field operations provide eyewitness accounts of the severe human cost of the climate emergency. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events directly threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, poverty, and inequality.

• SDG 13 (Climate Action): The failure to mitigate climate change is manifesting as repeated and overlapping disasters, including floods, droughts, and storms.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): These events strike communities with such speed that they have insufficient time or capacity to recover, systematically eroding community resilience.

2.0 Impacts on Health, Well-being, and Infrastructure

The consequences of climate-related disasters extend beyond immediate physical harm, creating complex and long-term challenges that undermine fundamental human well-being and security.

1. Impact on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): There is a marked increase in physical health risks and a significant erosion of psychological and emotional resilience. The resulting complex trauma is compounded by secondary stressors.
2. Impact on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Disasters frequently lead to displacement and food insecurity, disrupting access to basic necessities.
3. Impact on SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure): Critical infrastructure is consistently damaged, impeding recovery efforts and access to essential services, including healthcare.

3.0 Case Study: Brazil (2023-2024)

The situation in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul serves as a critical case study of these interconnected crises. Consecutive events of heavy rains, flooding, and landslides resulted in significant loss of life and mass displacement, necessitating a targeted humanitarian response aligned with SDG principles.

3.1 MSF Response and Alignment with SDGs

• Mobile Clinics: Deployed to ensure continued access to healthcare for vulnerable communities, directly supporting SDG 3.
• Mental Health Support: Provided medical and mental health services in shelters, addressing the critical psychological impact of the disaster and reinforcing SDG 3.
• Capacity Building: Trained local professionals on psychological first aid, contributing to stronger local institutions and community resilience as outlined in SDG 11 and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

4.0 Exacerbation of Inequalities and Vulnerabilities

The climate emergency disproportionately affects populations already facing systemic disadvantages, thereby deepening existing inequities and reversing progress on SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 1 (No Poverty).

4.1 Most Affected Populations

• People in conflict-affected areas
• Displaced families
• Rural and impoverished populations
• Indigenous communities

These groups often lack access to basic healthcare, and the climate crisis compounds their pre-existing vulnerabilities, making it a significant obstacle to achieving equitable development.

5.0 Conclusion and Recommendations for an SDG-Informed Approach

Experience demonstrates that top-down approaches are inefficient and risk deepening existing inequalities. To effectively address the climate emergency and its humanitarian consequences, a strategic shift is required.

• Promote Inclusive Action (SDG 10, SDG 16): Efforts must incorporate local and Indigenous knowledge to ensure responses are tailored to real needs. Overlooking this expertise undermines the goal of building just and inclusive societies.
• Strengthen Partnerships (SDG 17): A prominent role for grassroots movements and local communities in global climate discussions, such as COP30, is essential for developing effective and equitable solutions.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article directly connects the climate emergency to health outcomes. It discusses the provision of “medical and mental health support” by MSF, the erosion of “psychological and emotional resilience,” and the fact that the most affected people often “lack access to or are excluded from basic health care.” This highlights the critical link between climate events and the physical and mental health of populations.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The text emphasizes that the climate emergency disproportionately affects vulnerable and marginalized groups. It states that the crisis “exacerbates existing health and social inequities” and specifically names “displaced families, rural populations, those living in poverty, and Indigenous communities” as the most affected. The call to apply “the knowledge of traditional communities” and involve “grassroots movements” further underscores the theme of reducing inequality through inclusion.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• This is the central theme of the article. It opens by describing MSF as an “eyewitness to the human cost of the climate emergency” and details the impact of “repeated and overlapping extreme weather events—such as floods, droughts, and storms.” The entire article frames the humanitarian crises discussed as direct consequences of climate change, making SDG 13 a core focus.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
   • The article highlights that the most affected people are those who “already lack access to or are excluded from basic health care.” MSF’s response, which includes “mobile clinics” and “medical and mental health support in shelters,” is a direct effort to provide essential health services to these underserved populations, aligning with the goal of universal health coverage.
2. Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
   • The climate emergency is presented as a global health risk. MSF’s work in “training local professionals on psychological first aid” is a clear example of strengthening local capacity to manage the health consequences (specifically mental health) of climate-related disasters.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

1. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • The article’s warning that overlooking “local and Indigenous knowledge” risks “deepening existing inequalities” directly addresses the need for inclusion. The statement that a “top-down approach would not only be inefficient, but in fact it would be unwise” supports the promotion of inclusive, community-led solutions as described in this target.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • The article describes communities being “struck repeatedly before they have time or the capacity to recover from the previous disaster.” This points to a lack of resilience. MSF’s response to events like the “heavy rains, flooding, and landslides” in Brazil is aimed at helping communities cope with and recover from these climate-related hazards, thereby contributing to building resilience.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Implied Indicator for Target 3.8: The proportion of the population with access to essential health services.
   • The article implies a low level of access by stating that the most affected people “lack access to or are excluded from basic health care.” The provision of “mobile clinics” and “medical and mental health support” by MSF serves as a direct intervention to improve this indicator for disaster-affected populations.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

1. Implied Indicator for Target 10.2: The extent to which local and Indigenous communities are included in decision-making processes.
   • The article suggests this indicator by quoting the executive director of MSF Brazil, who hopes the “prominent role that grassroots movements are expected to play at COP30 could make a positive difference” and warns against overlooking “local and Indigenous knowledge.” This highlights the importance of inclusive participation as a measure of progress.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Indicator for Target 13.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters.
   • The article provides specific data points that align with this official indicator. It explicitly mentions the disaster in Brazil in 2023-2024, which resulted in “hundreds of deaths and leaving hundreds of thousands displaced,” directly measuring the human cost of climate-related events.

4. SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: doctorswithoutborders.org