The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Monday (9 November 2026) that climate change is an ongoing health crisis, not a future threat. The speech took place in Antalya, Turkey, during the 31st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31). Tedros highlighted that environmental impacts are already causing outbreaks of diseases and interrupting essential health services, putting professionals in the area at risk. He argued that investing today in health systems prepared for extreme events, such as heat waves and floods, will save millions of lives tomorrow.
The WHO proposes the creation of hospitals capable of operating during natural disasters, with reliable supply of energy and water, as well as early warning systems. The head of the agency emphasized that many countries know the necessary measures to strengthen their infrastructure, but often lack funding, technical capacity and coordination to implement them on a large scale. According to the Director-General, the current focus should be the immediate execution of these actions. The 31st COP31 began on Monday and follows until November 20, 2026. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva participates in the Summit of Leaders, segment of the conference that brings together Heads of State from the participating countries, on 11 and 12.