Climate change and well-being
We already live in an altered world due to climate change, and a transformative shift in policy and societal action is urgently needed to limit further dramatic impacts on current and future generations. Systematically putting people’s well-being at the centre of climate action will be crucial for achieving this shift in a fair and effective way.
Well-being approaches can help take a broader and more preventative view of the consequences of climate change, including on inequalities, poverty, and under-addressed issues of vulnerability such as physical disability and mental health.
They can help ensure that green transition strategies are just and fair, taking into account actual and projected inequalities across all dimensions of individual, community, and societal well-being. Well-being approaches can also help reduce instances of ‘maladaptation’, where adaptation and mitigation efforts lead to unintended negative consequences, by helping provide a more comprehensive consideration of the impacts of climate action in the short- and long-term. And ultimately they can strengthen the political and social feasibility of pro-climate policies and other transformative actions by ensuring they are inclusive, transparent and centre the needs of people, households and communities.
The Forum will explore how well-being frameworks are employed to inform climate action in public policy and in the private sector and civil society. It will also address the intersection of climate change and key aspects of well-being such as health, as well as exploring the implications for inequality, gender equity, and poverty reduction, as well as achieving a just, green transition.
Related sessions
More information on relevant Forum sessions and speakers will be added as details are confirmed. Provisional example sessions related to this theme include:
- Plenary Roundtable on “Centering inclusive well-being in climate change action”
- Parallel Session on “Climate change and health”
