News29th January 2025

New report calls for ethical consideration to be more systemically utilised in climate and health policy decision-making

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) has published a new report highlighting how policy and decision makers in the UK could better navigate the intersection between climate change and health, if they were to embed ethical considerations into its decision-making processes.

The environment & healthClimateGlobal healthFood and agriculture

Climate change presents one of the most significant threats to human and non-human health in the UK and globally. Global temperatures are rising at a faster rate than at any point in recorded history, and adverse events, such as extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels and ocean acidification, will continue to increase in frequency and severity without urgent action.

Responding and adapting to climate change presents complex ethical challenges, requiring policymakers to navigate difficult trade-offs and balance competing interests. These include deciding how resources can be fairly allocated to protect communities who are most at risk and ensuring that climate measures in the UK do not negatively impact other parts of the world or compromise the health of non-human species and future generations.

There are existing frameworks aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate change, but human activities are still driving adverse consequences, suggesting there is more to be done if we are to find effective and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.

Our new report seeks to inform key decision-makers on how integrating ethics into the UK’s climate and health policies can help to tackle these complexities. We make two key recommendations:

1. Policy and decision makers should recognise, consider and address the intersections between climate change and health when developing and implementing all climate measures.
2. Ethical considerations should be embedded in this process from the outset.

The report uses three case studies (human health and care, agriculture, and geoengineering) to illustrate the value of making ethical analysis an integral part of the development and implementation of climate change policies. In doing this we demonstrate how embedding ethics can empower decision-makers to be better equipped in their identification, navigation and evaluation of steps required to address the complex issues inherent in climate and health. And that this, in turn, ensures policy decision making is as equitable as possible.

The health of humans, non-human species and the environments we inhabit are interdependent and cannot be considered in isolation from one another. This is why, in order to safeguard our current and future health, it is vital decision makers draw upon bioethical analysis and recognise the importance of this insight – without it, we cannot hope to create policies that are both effective and equitable.”

Professor John Coggon, Co-Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ Environment and Health Advisory Group

We look forward to making further connections and working with others to build on our report’s findings, and helping to incorporate ethics into decision-making processes at the intersections of climate change and health.”

Maili Raven-Adams, Senior Researcher at the Nuffield Council on Bioethics