Hinckson, EricaReis, RodrigoRomanello, MarinaDing, DingAdelekan, IbidunFavarão Leão, Ana LuizaBallard, EllisBenmarhnia, TarikHogg, RobertSallis, James FBauman, AdrianRamirez Varela, AndreaSalvo, DeborahEkelund, UlfPratt, MichaelLee, I-MinKohl, Harold WHallal, Pedro C2026-03-172026-03-172026-03-09Nature Health, ISSN: 3005-0693 (Print); 3005-0693 (Online), Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1(3), 300-315. doi: 10.1038/s44360-026-00057-63005-06933005-0693http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20783<jats:p>Addressing today’s public health challenges requires learning from past successes while adapting to emerging threats. Here we focus on two pressing, interconnected issues: physical inactivity and climate change. We present the Physical Activity and Climate Change (PACC) model, a conceptual framework illustrating how well-designed physical activity initiatives can simultaneously contribute to climate mitigation, support adaptation, and promote health and equity. We provide insights on Indigenous knowledge and contemporary sport, re-imagined urban design, behavioural and equity synergies, and opportunities to develop co-benefit metrics, innovative governance models and cross-sector solutions. We emphasize the need for systems-based, co-designed approaches that prioritize environmental sustainability, health equity and cultural relevance while avoiding unintended consequences. Aligning physical activity and climate change agendas is more powerful than addressing them separately, offering greater combined benefits for population and environmental health. The PACC model offers a practical foundation for advancing integrated, equitable and sustainable solutions.</jats:p>Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/4101 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation41 Environmental Sciences4206 Public Health42 Health SciencesPhysical ActivityHealth Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health ResearchPreventionHealth DisparitiesGeneric health relevance13 Climate ActionJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1038/s44360-026-00057-6