In her address to the IIEA, Dr Maria Neira highlights how the international community can foster intersectoral cooperation on air pollution to put health at the core of climate action and sustainable development. The benefits of cleaner air extend beyond personal health, to collective public, environmental and economic health. The drive for clean air can facilitate a faster reduction of climate-warming emissions, a shift to cheaper and more reliable energy sources, and improved economic security. Dr Neira discusses the benefits of putting health at the core of climate action and sustainable development to future proof the climate-health nexus.

This event is part of the Development Matters lecture series, supported by Irish Aid.

About the Speaker:

Dr Maria Neira is the Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization, Geneva. Dr Neira is a medical doctor by training and specialised in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases in Paris, France. Among many distinctions, she has been awarded the Médaille de l'Ordre national du Mérite by the Government of France and received an “Extraordinary Woman” award by HM Queen Letizia of Spain. In 2019, she was nominated among the top 100 policy influencers in health and climate change.