“This is the first time a COP has placed health at the center of its discussions, recognizing the impact of climate crises in causing preventable deaths,” emphasized Adriano Massuda, researcher at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and Secretary of Specialized Health Care at Brazil’s Ministry of Health, during the opening of the seminar Health System and Climate: Challenges and Solutions.
The event, held at Espaço Casa Folha on Tuesday afternoon (November 11), was organized by Folha de S.Paulo and the PROADI-SUS Hospitals, aiming to bring together experts to discuss key topics such as resilience and climate justice, the intersection of decarbonization and digital innovation, and the impact of environmental crises on Brazil’s epidemiological profile.
Massuda stressed that the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly devastating:
“This Saturday, I flew over the city of Rio Bonito, in Paraná, which was completely destroyed by a tornado - a phenomenon Brazil is not accustomed to,” he noted.
The Secretary warned that such scenarios are likely to become more frequent, and the health system must be prepared to respond effectively.
“This issue is already on the agenda of SUS, the Ministry of Health, and the Brazilian government. We need to strengthen the resilience of our health system and improve post-event recovery - that makes all the difference,” said Massuda, noting that in response to the climate disaster in Paraná, the state has already deployed ten professionals from the SUS National Health Force, all specialized in mental health.
“The main challenge now is how to provide psychosocial support to individuals whose lives have been shattered. In addition to treating chronic diseases like hypertension and cancer, we must offer psychosocial care to promote mental health across the population.”
Massuda also recalled the recent approval of AdaptaSUS, a framework designed to help Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) adapt to extreme climate events.
“Because this COP is taking place in the Amazon, we will also discuss a health plan specifically for the region. We owe a debt to the Amazon - we must prepare and strengthen the health system in line with the characteristics of its biome and population, which require a national policy tailored to their demographic and territorial realities. This proposal is part of the set of guidelines we will present throughout the conference,” Massuda announced.
Full coverage of Fundação Getulio Vargas’s participation in COP30, including agendas, exclusive content, and institutional contributions to global climate action, is available on the FGV Climate Agenda Platform. [Access here].