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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. Environmental risk factors, including pollution, chemical exposures and climate change, .

Climate change causes rising temperatures and more frequent floods which increase deaths directly and extend the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, risking the health of billions of people not previously affected. Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) creates air pollution, which and contributes to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, heart diseases, stroke and chronic respiratory disease, which amount to almost . Almost .

As well as these more generalised health threats, climate change has specific effects on the health of women and girls, as research by MARCH members demonstrates. Climate disasters, uncertain conditions, and environmentally stressed livelihoods can lead to a rise in and as a result of ������ýӰ�� individual stress, insecure living conditions and child separation. , increasing the risk of hypertension disorders, gestational diabetes and antenatal haemorrhage resulting from ������ýӰ�� heat stress on the body during pregnancy. . Eco-anxiety, , is known to be rising, especially among young people, as the Art of Health Breath In competition run by the Zimbabwe LSHTM Research Partnership highlighted.

The WHO has publicly stated that “” and affects all of us throughout our life course. No one can ignore the need to act now in the interests of both our human health and the health of our planet.

The 26^th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow last November saw the largest number of health practitioners, researchers, and advocates participating than at any previous Conference of Parties. The WHO Pavilion hosted many speakers, including MARCH member Dr Robert Hughes and myself, who spoke about the impact of the climate crisis on health, including women’s health. For the first time at a United Nations Climate Change Conference, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) held a side event, explicitly highlighting the impact of climate change on women and girls.

Although these issues were excluded from the , which was focused primarily on government commitments to reducing carbon emissions, the presence of so many speakers highlighting the impact of climate change on health - and women’s and girl’s health in particular - was important for influencing wider negotiations and public discourse around more comprehensive policies that include health outcomes. MARCH researchers, with their partners and many others globally, are taking up the challenge to provide more and better evidence on the impacts of the climate crisis on women and girls globally and , in the hope that future climate negotiations will prioritise these issues.

Climate scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a final warning in their that it is .

However, to protect women's and girls' health in future generations, urgent action is needed now from all of us in our daily lives.

Everyday actions collectively make a big difference: how you get to work, what you buy and what you eat are all opportunities for positive change to protect our health and the health of our planet.

The offers numerous ways to take action and inspire others for a healthier tomorrow, including:

• Getting to work: increase the number of days you use a bike, public transport or your feet. These greener choices protect the planet and walking, running and cycling are all good forms of exercise that keep your heart and mind healthy.
• Saving energy: turn off the lights, computers and phone chargers when not needed; turn your heating down and wear more clothes; switch to a renewable energy provider. This will help protect the planet and could also help to reduce your energy bill.
• Nutrition: buy local; avoid highly processed foods; reduce meat consumption (especially beef); avoid products containing unsustainable palm oil/nut products. Many adult health issues have their roots in behaviours developed in childhood and adolescence. Eating well as a parent can encourage healthy behaviours in your children, reducing the impacts of poor nutrition on development, such as , and build positive shopping habits for later life.
• Consumption: buy less plastic; use reusable/recyclable shopping bags, cut down on the amount of clothing you buy.
• Lifestyle: Quit smoking – it’s good for your health and the health of your children and those around you, but also reduces toxins in the air and reduces the number of trees being chopped down each year to grow tobacco (currently 6 million!)

My young children are leading by example – my daughter has written to her local MP and to Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, about reducing plastic production, banning all single-use plastics, and increasing climate-friendly transport options. My son has forbidden us to buy food containing palm oil derivatives (harder than you think!), unless they are certified “sustainable”, as this is a major contributor to rainforest loss.

Together, we can “” and keep our planet and our people happy and healthy. Find out what other MARCH members are doing for a #HealthierTomorrow below and get inspired!