The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) will take place in Belém, Brazil from 10–21 November 2025. This will mark the first COP hosted in the Amazon – a region, where climate change, biodiversity loss, social inequality and health impacts converge.
Decisions made at COP30 will influence how countries mitigate and adapt to climate change, how health systems prepare, and how climate finance is mobilised to protect those most at risk.
Following two years of rising global attention on health in the climate negotiations, COP30 is expected to shift from high-level commitments to action. With health now positioned within the official COP30 Action Agenda, focus will be on the launch of the Belém Health Action Plan on ‘Health Day’ (13 November), which aims to drive implementation of climate-resilient health systems and ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind.
LSHTM researchers will be actively engaged at COP30, contributing scientific evidence and data-driven tools to support negotiations. Their work spans epidemiology, environmental health, the health benefits of climate action, migration, antimicrobial resistance, One Health frameworks and data science.
This year, our researchers are calling for clear, measurable adaptation targets that include health indicators; climate financing that enables implementation, not just ambition; and climate mitigation and adaptation strategies that protect those most affected, including Indigenous and traditional communities in the Amazon and other frontline regions.
Meet the LSHTM researchers going to COP30
Dr Julia Pescarini
Associate Professor at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK) and Researcher at Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde from Oswald Cruz Foundation (CIDACS/Fiocruz, Brazil)
“I am a social epidemiologist working on the interface of climate and environmental health, social policies and health inequalities. At LSHTM I lead EMERGE (Equity in Migration and Environmental adaptation Study), in collaboration with Cidacs/Fiocruz using their Climate Data Platform of linked data in Brazil to investigate climate-related migration, and migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change.
“At COP30 I will be presenting our new Brazil Climate Data Platform with colleagues from CIDACS/Fiocruz, and some of the results we’ve found so far. I will also be following negotiations on global adaptation goals and financing, especially how migration and adaptation interplay in policy. I am hoping for progressive goals and commitments from COP30, and a stronger voice for indigenous and traditional populations.”
Dr Iris Blom
Researcher, LSHTM
“I am a medical doctor, policy expert and climate-health researcher working at LSHTM with the Pathfinder Initiative project. My research focuses on the co-benefits of climate action and resilient and sustainable health systems. I am also the Penholder for the Pan European Commission on Climate and Health with the WHO European Office."
“At COP this year, I will speak at events on climate change and health, focusing on the health argument for ambitious climate action, and how the health community can ‘walk the talk’ through transforming health systems. I will also follow negotiations on the global goal of adaptation (GGA) indicators – as there are health indicators proposed it will be vital to see how they are received – and I will work daily with the climate and health community to provide evidence to negotiators where it is needed. My hope is to see strong commitments on finance, as well as the adoption of adaptation indicators that meaningfully include health at COP30.”
Dr Louise Cerdeira
Senior Research Software Engineer, LSHTM; Researcher, Brazil Ministry of Health, University of São Paulo and Amazon Sentinel Institute
“I am a computational biologist and software engineer exploring how One Health frameworks can be integrated into national and international climate adaptation strategies. My work develops platforms and frameworks (such as AMRnet and TyphiNET) with AI to track antimicrobial resistance hotspots, microplastics and heavy-metal pollution – phenomena exacerbated by climate change and human activities – to build a data-driven case for immediate, integrated action. I also engage with policymakers to advocate for evidence-based health considerations in all climate policy.
“At COP30, I will be presenting how we can use One Health frameworks and platforms recently developed by our team at LSHTM (AMRnet/TyphiNET) to provide access to high-quality data for researchers, public-health professionals and policymakers worldwide. I will also be following negotiations on adaptation, mitigation and climate finance. I hope to see commitments from COP30 that align with my research aims, and present epidemiological and environmental monitoring tools that show real life scenarios of water/soil ecosystem data to protect the most vulnerable communities such as riverside populations, Indigenous and traditional groups.”
Find us at COP30 at the following events (shown in Brasilia Standard Time (GMT-3):
- 11 November
14:00 – 15:00: The CIDACS Climate Platform: Integrating Health, Social, Environmental and Climate Data to Generate Evidence on the Impact of Climate Change on Health and to Evaluate Adaptation Measures
- Location: Health Pavilion
- Organisers: Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde from Oswald Cruz Foundation (CIDACS/Fiocruz, Brazil), Federal University of Bahia, University of Southeast of Bahia, LSHTM, Brazilian Semi-Arid Network (ASA Brasil), Institute of Black Women of Amapá (IMENA), and Iyaleta Research Association
- LSHTM speaker: Dr Julia Pescarini (in person)
- Watch the event livestream
- 12 November
16:10 – 16:55: Young Women’s Health on a Warming Planet: Challenges and Opportunities
- Location: Children & Youth Pavilion
- Organisers: Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and Gender Hub Azerbaijan
- LSHTM speaker: Dr Iris Blom (in person)
- Event Overview: This 45-minute session will bring together a diverse panel of professionals, including gender and health experts, climate activists, and young leaders. Panellists will discuss how climate change impacts young women’s health, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, mental well-being, and access to services. The session will also explore opportunities for youth leadership and cross-sectoral collaboration.
- 17 November
09:00 – 10:00: Demonstrating Health and Economic Co-Benefits of Climate Mitigation
- Location: Health Pavilion
- Organisers: International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan CCHANGE); American Lung Association
- LSHTM speaker: Professor Andy Haines (online)
- Event Overview: Public health and economic gains are compelling motivators for policy action. Experts from research, academia, and government will present successful real-world energy, urban planning, and food policy interventions that have provided significant health, economic, and climate mitigation gains.
- Watch the event livestream
MSc Climate Change & Planetary Health
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Contact Us
For general enquiries about LSHTM at COP30, please contact Ellie Morse ([email protected]; virtual delegate and Communications Officer).
For media enquiries, please contact [email protected].
To find out how you can support us, make a gift or partner with the CCCPH, please contact: Mary-Alice McDevitt, [email protected], 020 7612 7879.
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