On April 8, 2022, as part of France’s presidency of the European Union, Santé publique France and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) organized a day of discussions on health as a lever for action in the face of climate change. Speakers provided an overview of the latest scientific findings on the links between climate, biodiversity, and health, and discussed existing actions to protect and promote health through climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The proceedings published today are available in French and English. They summarize key messages and suggest avenues for action.

With the window of opportunity closing, we must anticipate more, invest in prevention and health promotion, create innovative partnerships, and ensure policy continuity over time. The commitment of local authorities fosters a dynamic and cross-cutting momentum among stakeholders and the public to raise awareness and initiate measures on the topic of climate change.

To further this discussion, a session was organized at the Rencontres de Santé publique France in June 2022 on the theme “Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Health: How Can Stakeholders Work Together to Protect Public Health at the Local Level?” The session highlights local, cross-sectoral initiatives that benefit public health, the climate, and biodiversity.

Santé publique France is also continuing its efforts to monitor climate-related health effects in France and to develop tools that address the need for adaptation to climate change. The work carried out also aims to support ecological transition and mitigation policies by illustrating the severity of the negative effects of climate change and highlighting the co-benefits of these policies for public health. To this end, Santé publique France is committed to:

• strengthen and promote its partnerships on climate change and health at the national and international levels, particularly with the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI);

• developing indicators of the health effects of climate change in France to inform national and regional observatories on the impacts of climate change;

• supporting heat adaptation through a body of epidemiological studies and promoting population adaptation to heat by defining and implementing an advocacy strategy;

• optimize and ensure health surveillance as part of the national heat wave management plan.