Without urgent action, climate change will be the next big threat to global health. Threat number one, rising temperatures. Scientists deplore the “lack of action”.
- Temperature rise is designated as the main health hazard.
- Air pollution is responsible for 7 million deaths every year.
- Only half of the countries studied have developed national plans making the link between health and climate.
The Covid-19 pandemic proves that the health of the world’s population is fragile. Next on the list: global warming. In the fifth annual report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the 120 academics and researchers from 35 global institutions point out the many risks of global warming that weigh on our health. “Climate-induced shocks are causing deaths, damaging health and disrupting livelihoods in every region of the world right now”, summarized Ian Hamilton, executive director of this report.
Rising temperatures, danger number 1
For five years and the Paris Climate Agreements, researchers and academics have come together to make an annual inventory of the climate situation and its effects on the health of the world population. “We observe worrying developments, linked in particular to the lack of action”, notes to Release Jonathan Chambers, one of the co-authors and researcher at the University of Geneva. Temperature rise is designated as the main health hazard. A danger already present since the report shows that the levels of heat-related mortality among vulnerable people are increasing in all regions of the world (+ 54% in twenty years), with 296,000 deaths in 2018. These temperature increases are the triggers for many forest fires that have increased in 128 countries over the past 20 years. “Cardiovascular and respiratory effects of record heat waves and wildfires in Australia, western North America and western Europe”, wrote the authors.
“No country – whether rich or poor – is immune to the health effects of climate change”, warn the authors. The most affected countries are China, India, Germany, the United States, Russia and Japan. France is not to be outdone since researchers call it a country “vulnerable” to the health effects of heat. The heat wave episodes caused 8,000 deaths there in 2018 alone among the over 65s. The economic cost of this mortality is equivalent to 1.3% of France’s gross national income, according to the report. Around the world, these heat waves prevent outdoor work in many developing countries, jeopardizing food security since fewer harvests are made. According to the report, no less than 302 billion hours of work could not be done in 2019 for this reason, including 40% in India but also in China or Bangladesh. That’s 103 billion hours more than in 2000.
Air pollution, 7 million deaths each year
Air pollution is one of the main consequences of global warming and its effects on health are numerous. Each year, there are more than 7 million deaths due to pollution. “Ihe share of coal in overall electricity generation has changed little [en cinq ans]but this is a major source of greenhouse gases and fine particle pollution, which cause 7 million premature deaths worldwide”, continues Jonathan Chambers. In France, say the authors, 25,350 deaths are directly linked to fine particle pollution.
Climate change is also accused of widening inequalities. “Those changes create a cruel gap that reinforces existing inequalities in health between and within countries. […] As with Covid-19, the elderly are particularly vulnerable, those with pathologies such as asthma or diabetes are even more so.”, abounds notes Hugh Montgomery, intensive care physician and co-chair of the report. Climate change also raises fears of a setback in certain deadly infectious diseases by promoting the spread of malaria, vibriosis and dengue fever, transmitted by mosquitoes.
From “urgent measures” are necessary
Significant changes are needed to reverse the trend, point out the researchers, and the current health crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic could represent an opportunity. For researchers, the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change “represent converging crises”. “The pandemic has shown us that when global health is threatened, our economies and lifestyles can come to a halt.”, said Dr. Ian Hamilton. The billions spent could improve public health systems, create sustainable economies and protect the environment. These measures could at the same time reduce the risk of future pandemics, because, the authors of the report recall, climate change also leads to an increase in the risk of zoonotic pandemics such as dengue fever, malaria or diseases linked to bacteria of the genus Vibrio. .
“Using post-Covid investments in response to the ecological crisis also means preventing future health crises, as well as their economic damage. Indeed, by taking structural measures now, we are a threefold winner – a more sustainable and equitable economy, a respected and protected environment, and better public health for all.”, confirms Jonathan Chambers.
From “urgent measures” must be adopted, asserts the report. Currently, only half of the countries studied by researchers and academics have developed national plans linking health and climate, and only four of them have adequate national funding. Two-thirds of the world’s cities surveyed expect climate change to seriously compromise their public health infrastructure.
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