Mental Health Is Climate Infrastructure: Building Support Before Disaster Strikes

Climate commitments do not automatically translate into better health outcomes. Between policy ambition and what happens in health systems lies the difficult work of implementation: coordinating institutions, translating evidence into practice, building capacity, and ensuring communities can withstand the health impacts of a changing climate. This conversation will explore how to close that gap. Bringing together perspectives from academia, government, civil society, philanthropy, and industry, the session will examine how climate commitments can become practical interventions that strengthen health systems and produce measurable improvements in people's lives. Participants will explore the potential of One Health, implementation science, responsible AI governance, and cross-sector partnerships as complementary approaches to this challenge. Where can technology and data accelerate progress, and where is human and institutional capacity more important? How can insights across human, animal, and environmental health inform more resilient systems? And what prevents promising policies and evidence from translating into action at scale? Rather than focusing on any single organization or approach, the session will look for points of connection across disciplines and sectors. The aim is to identify where different forms of expertise can reinforce one another and where collaboration could help move climate and health work from commitments on paper toward tangible outcomes. What to expect An interactive, cross-sector conversation grounded in practical challenges and opportunities. Participants will be invited to contribute their own expertise, examine where implementation is getting stuck, and explore how approaches including One Health, AI governance, and implementation science can be applied in practice. The session will conclude by identifying opportunities for collaboration that can continue beyond Climate Week, with an emphasis on connections and next steps that participants can carry into their own work. Who this is for This session is for leaders and practitioners across academia, government, NGOs, philanthropy, healthcare, technology, and industry who are working at the intersection of climate and health and want to turn policy commitments into stronger, more resilient health systems. What you will get out of it A clearer view of the gaps between climate commitments and measurable health outcomes Perspectives on how One Health, implementation science, and responsible AI governance can support climate-resilient health systems Practical insights from people approaching climate and health from different sectors and disciplines Opportunities to identify where cross-sector collaboration could accelerate implementation New connections and potential partnerships that can continue beyond Climate Week Hosted by One Integrative Health