Climate and Health Alliance

The Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) is Australia’s peak body on climate and health. CAHA is a coalition of  more than 100 health and medical groups, academic and research institutions, health care service providers and unions. Our mission is to build a powerful health sector movement for climate action and sustainable healthcare. Our strategy to achieve a future which is healthy, regenerative and just, is outlined in our 2020-23 Strategic Plan.

A key pillar of work for CAHA is to support the health sector to be sustainable and climate resilient. Through CAHA’s Sustainable Healthcare Program we coordinate the Pacific region of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network and run an annual Greening the Healthcare Sector Forum. We connect people involved in climate resilient and sustainable healthcare, share information and resources, document progress, celebrate achievements and provide general support for health institutions in Australia and New Zealand to reduce their environmental impacts, reduce their carbon emissions and improve their resilience.

Supporting the following commitments:

• Conduct climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments (V&As) at population level and/or health care facility level.
• Develop a health national adaptation plan (HNAP) informed by the health V&A, which forms part of the National Adaptation Plan.
• Use the V&A and HNAP to facilitate access to climate change funding for health.
• Set a target date by which to achieve health systems net zero emissions (ideally by 2050).
• Deliver a baseline assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of the health system (including supply chains).
• Develop an action plan or roadmap by a set date to develop a sustainable low carbon health system (including supply chains).

Country experience:

Australia