Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Planetary Health Project has released a policy proposal titled, “Integrating Climate and Health for a Sustainable Society: Incorporating a Planetary Health Perspective into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).”

The establishment of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement has a significant impact on Japan’s energy and growth strategies, with greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction as its goal. In accordance with the agreement, countries are required to submit updated NDCs with numerical targets for post-2035 by 2025. To meet these targets, Japan has begun preparations for this revision.

In recent years, more countries have been incorporating health considerations into their NDCs. By 2022, 91% of NDCs (175 out of 193 countries) included health considerations. Furthermore, 11% of NDCs from countries in Asia and the G7 (21 countries in total) include sector-specific GHG reduction and adaptation measures aimed at protecting health. Ahead of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the World Health Organization (WHO) released the “COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health” and “Quality Criteria for Integrating Health into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).” These guidelines emphasize the need to prioritize health in climate policies, aiming to mitigate the adverse health impacts of climate change and achieve a sustainable future. However, Japan’s NDCs still lack references to health.

Given the severe impacts of climate change on public health, countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States have prioritized long-term climate goals within their Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) to maximize public health and well-being. Similarly, Japan must develop national strategies that place greater emphasis on the health of its citizens.

In response, HGPI presents the following five recommendations to ensure health perspectives are adequately reflected in Japan’s NDCs for 2025:

Request 1: Include the extensive health impacts of climate change as a rationale for climate action
Request 2: Include mitigation measures addressing the health impacts of climate change
Request 3: Include measures to promote co-benefits by advancing mitigation and adaptation in tandem
Request 4: Incorporate measures to promote mitigation within the healthcare sector
Request 5: Address the establishment of climate-resilient healthcare systems as an adaptation strategy

For more details, please refer to the PDF document linked at the bottom of this page.