Climate change threatening global health – report

  

Globally, climate change is having a significant negative influence on people's health, according to a report from a prestigious medical journal.

 

The world's ongoing reliance on fossil fuels, according to the Lancet Countdown research, raises the danger of food instability, infectious diseases, and heat-related illnesses.

 

In response, UN Secretary General António Guterres said that leaders must scale their responses to the scope of the issue.

 

Next month, leaders will gather in Egypt for the significant COP27 climate conference.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) and 99 other organizations, all of which were coordinated by University College London, contributed to the report.

 

It explains how the pressure from harsh weather has increased on health facilities around the world that are already dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak.

 

It finds that during the past two decades, the number of deaths caused by heat have climbed by two thirds worldwide.

 

In 2022, temperatures smashed previous records all around the world, especially in the UK, where a July temperature of 40C was reported, as well as in some regions of Europe, Pakistan, and China.

 

Extreme heat can worsen medical issues like cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, lead to heat stroke, and have a negative influence on mental health.

 

But it said there are solutions. "Despite the challenges, there is clear evidence that immediate action could still save the lives of millions, with a rapid shift to clean energy and energy efficiency," the report concludes.

 

Mr Guterres said that the world is watching G20 countries, which produce 80% of global greenhouse emissions. They must step up efforts to slash emissions and lead the way by investing more in renewable energy, he added.

 

"Human health, livelihoods, household budgets and national economies are being pummelled, as the fossil fuel addiction spirals out of control," he said.

Today's Lancet report is a call to arms.

 

The authors hope the evidence it presents shows the need for urgent action at the UN conference on climate in Egypt.

 

But the summit faces strong headwinds.

 

Developing countries will be demanding nations which grew rich using fossil fuels cough up more cash to meet the costs of the loss and damage our changing climate is causing.

 

And what about the $100bn a year for climate action developed countries were supposed have made available from 2020, they will ask? We are still billions of dollars short of the total.

 

The Egyptians hosts of COP27 have warned of a "crisis of trust".

 

But the developed world is battling with a cost-of-living crisis as energy and food prices soar. Many of them are already spending billions on military support for Ukraine.

 

Get ready for some heated debates in Egypt.

Source: BBC