Climate change is a defining public health challenge of the 21st century, with impacts already evident through rising heat-related illness, air pollution, food and water insecurity, infectious disease risks, displacement, and mental health burdens. These effects fall disproportionately on populations that have contributed least to global emissions. At the same time, the transgression of multiple planetary boundaries signals growing instability in the Earth systems that underpin human health and well-being.

These trends are deeply rooted in the commercial determinants of health. Climate change is not only an environmental crisis but also a systemic consequence of prevailing models of production and consumption, particularly across sectors such as energy, agriculture, transport, and industry. Framing climate change through this lens draws attention to the commercial and political forces that drive environmental degradation and shape policy responses, while highlighting the need for structural solutions that align economic activity with the protection of both population health and planetary systems.