GTP 2026
Conference Programme
12–15 October 2026 · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Programme structure and timings are indicative. Speaker line-ups will be confirmed closer to the conference.
12–15 October 2026 · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Programme structure and timings are indicative. Speaker line-ups will be confirmed closer to the conference.
Objective
The GTP Report 2025 makes one thing certain: the cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of transition. Climate finance that accounts for long-term economic and health benefits are more urgently needed than ever. For the Global South, the finance gap remains the primary barrier to triggering positive tipping points. This plenary dives into the mechanisms needed for health-centred mitigation and adaptation and examines potential positive tipping points in the financial sector – building on the GTP2025 report’s notes on green technology affordability. Is the current global financial architecture fit for purpose or does it reinforce the vulnerability of the Global South? How can planetary health investments become the default, low-risk option for emerging markets?
Objective
Why are human systems – and particularly, the dominant economic model – so resistant to transformative change? What would it take, practically, to disseminate and stabilise the meanings, behaviours, incentives, purpose and power relations that would catalyse positive tipping points? Previous sessions set the scene and looked at the role of regional and multinational cooperation, of nature, of communication, finance, faith and culture in those dynamics. To this list two more critical elements should be added: the law and legal action. The dangerous tipping points we face are the result of choices underpinned by the legal system: a legal wiring that has led to the concentration of power, deepened global inequalities and enabled ecological degradation. But legal systems are complex, contradictory and constantly evolving, which offers entry points for change via legal action. This session explores law's role as foundation of today's crises, and its flipside – the concrete examples of strategic levers that legal action can pull to get us to the positive tipping points needed for a thriving planet.
Objective
Every major shock carries within it the seeds of a faster transition if societies are positioned to seize it. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz earlier in 2026, the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, has made that proposition uncomfortably real. It has sorted countries into those who invested in energy resilience before this crisis struck and those who did not. The hunger for energy to feed an AI arms race is exacerbating this crisis and its geopolitics This plenary examines how that investment pays economic and political dividends when shocks arrive. Drawing on the science of tipping points, it identifies the policy triggers, finance mechanisms, and regional coalitions that can turn instability into irreversible momentum, with particular attention to Asia's capacity to lead the global clean energy transition.
Objective
Parallel action-oriented workshops; participants choose one track per slot to go deeper on practice, skills, and collaboration.
Objective
Explore the Research Sessions scheduled for this date, featuring leading researchers from around the world presenting their latest findings, insights, and innovations in planetary health. Browse presentation titles and presenter details.
Objective
The Regional Hub for Asia Climate Change and Health (REACH) invites participants to a special session exploring how research, collaboration and regional partnerships can strengthen responses to the growing health impacts of climate change across South and Southeast Asia. This session, REACH - Advancing Research for Climate and Health in Asia will bring together researchers, practitioners and stakeholders to showcase REACH’s work in supporting locally relevant, policy-responsive research and building connections across the region. The session will highlight emerging research priorities, opportunities for regional collaboration and the role of evidence in informing action to protect populations most vulnerable to climate-related health risks. Through discussions and knowledge exchange, this session will also provide an opportunity to connect with researchers and partners working at the intersection of climate change and health to explore how collective efforts can help advance research, strengthen capacity and support more resilient and equitable health responses across Asia.
Objective
This discussion is oriented towards opportunity rather than risk, grounded upon the following objectives: 1) To test whether a register that tracks positive tipping opportunities, rather than risks, is useful, or just another risk tool with a different name. 2) To ask key stakeholders useful a separate Human Flourishing Index would be, and whether it needs to work alongside existing metrics 3) To bring together ongoing efforts and new thinking on flourishing-oriented development, preventing duplication and fostering collaboration
Objective
Filmmaker and storyteller Lara Ariffin brings the hidden world of Malaysia’s last wild tigers to the global stage in a powerful, TED-style talk. In “Who Will Speak for the Tigers?”, Lara draws on years of work filming wildlife—and living alongside the Menraq communities who have long been guardians of the rainforest. Through intimate footage and deeply human stories, she reveals what is at stake when a species vanishes—not just biodiversity, but culture, identity, and our collective future. Blending cinematic storytelling with lived experience, Lara challenges us to confront a simple but urgent question: if we lose the voices of the forest, who will speak for those who cannot? Her talk is a call to listen more closely—to the land, to indigenous knowledge, and to the fragile threads that connect planetary health with our own survival.
Objective
Conflict, instability, and environmental stress increasingly reinforce one another, creating negative tipping cascades. This session explores peace and social cohesion as stabilising forces that enable health systems, climate action, and development progress. The fireside chat will examine how investments in peacebuilding, governance, and health security can prevent systemic collapse and instead reinforce positive tipping points for long-term resilience and wellbeing.
Objective
As temperatures rise, the future of sport is already changing. From reduced performance and slower recovery to growing health risks for athletes and children, heat is becoming one of the biggest hidden challenges in sport today. In this dynamic 10-minute talk, Datuk Nicol David—former world champion and one of Malaysia’s most admired sporting icons—shares why heat matters to every athlete, from elite competitors to children playing on local courts and fields. Drawing on her own experience at the highest level, Nicol will explore how resilience, training, and wellbeing are being reshaped by a warming world. She will also highlight how the Nicol David Organisation is working with parents and communities to inspire healthier lifestyles, environmental awareness, and a new generation that understands the connection between human health and planetary health. An inspiring call to action on sport, leadership, and protecting the future our children will inherit.
Objective
Bring participants together to synthesise insights from parallel sessions and connect themes across the conference programme.