COP30: Acting early on chronic disease can support climate action

At COP30, we presented new preliminary data showing that Brazil’s Farmácia Popular programme, which supports equitable access to innovative care for type 2 diabetes (T2D), can simultaneously improve health outcomes and reduce the carbon footprint of Brazil’s public health system (SUS).

The climate crisis is the largest public health crisis of our time. Rising temperatures and increasingly unpredictable weather events are impacting health worldwide, especially among vulnerable populations.¹ At the same time, people are living longer, creating more demand on hospitals and healthcare services.²

At COP30 in Brazil, we joined governments and key partners to engage on the climate-health nexus and share new evidence on the benefits of acting early to keep people well. Detecting and treating chronic disease sooner has the potential to improve quality of life, relieve pressure on health systems³ and lower environmental impacts across the patient care journey⁴ — delivering benefits for people and planet.

Preliminary data shows access to innovative medicines improves health outcomes and contributes to healthcare decarbonisation

To enhance understanding of the environmental footprint of chronic disease care in Brazil, we conducted the ECOSUS study with IQVIA. The research evaluates how providing equitable access to innovative medicines for some patients with type 2 diabetes could support a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Preliminary findings indicate that expanding access to innovative care could reduce the CO₂ emissions of Brazil’s public health system (SUS).

Discover more on access to innovative medicines and health system decarbonisation in Brazil.

Delaying and preventing disease progression

More than 16 million Brazilians live with diabetes.⁵ When poorly controlled, T2D can lead to serious complications, including cardiovascular diseases, resulting in frequent hospitalisations⁶, and chronic kidney disease (CKD), which may progress to kidney failure and require dialysis⁷.

In Brazil, the Farmácia Popular programme has provided easy access to innovative care for type 2 diabetes, at no cost, since early 2025. This type of care may offer significant cardiorenal protections, going beyond glucose control, including lowering blood pressure, improving heart failure outcomes and slowing CKD progression.

Environmental impact of renal replacement therapy

The ECOSUS study looked at the cumulative CO₂ emissions associated with the healthcare for 155 patients with T2D and cardiorenal complications over three years. Early findings indicate that the CO₂ emissions associated with the seven patients on dialysis exceeded the CO₂ emissions associated with the other 148 non-dialysis patients in the study. In addition, the study shows that the average annual emissions per dialysis patient were over 6,000 kilograms of CO₂, making dialysis one of the most carbon-intensive stages in a diabetes patient’s care.  

By contrast, innovative care for type 2 diabetes produced significantly lower emissions by delaying disease progression that can lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis, by up to 15 years.

Partnering for more equitable and sustainable healthcare

Working alongside government, clinical experts and partners, we are dedicated to advancing data-driven solutions to accelerate the transition to more equitable, resilient, and sustainable healthcare systems.

Our message at COP30 was simple: when we deliver healthcare sustainably and invest in health, there are real benefits for patients, economies, and the planet.

Veeva ID: Z4-79371
Date of preparation: December 2025