The WHO noted that this conference must conclude with progress on the four key objectives to address the climate crisis (mitigation, adaptation, financing and collaboration) and that COP27 will be “a crucial opportunity for the world to unite and recommit.” to keep alive” the goal of the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC with respect to pre-industrial levels.
This UN agency advocated placing the threat of the climate crisis to health and the health benefits that would flow from stronger climate action at the center of the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh. “Climate change is already affecting people’s health and will continue to do so at an accelerated rate unless urgent measures are taken,” he warned.
“Climate change is making millions of people sick or more vulnerable to disease around the world, and the increasing destructiveness of extreme weather events disproportionately affects poor and marginalized communities,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, who considered it “crucial” that leaders and decision-makers meet at COP27 to put health at the center of the negotiations.
| Ecosystems |
Human health depends on the health of ecosystems, which, according to the WHO, are now threatened by deforestation, agriculture and other land use changes and rapid urban development.
Increasing invasion into animal habitats raises opportunities for viruses harmful to humans to transition from their animal host. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.
The direct costs of health damage (i.e. excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation) will range between $2 billion and $4 billion in 2030.
Rising temperatures Global climate is causing extreme weather events that bring intense heat waves and droughts, devastating floods, and increasingly powerful hurricanes and tropical storms. The combination of these factors means that the impact on human health is increasing and is likely to accelerate, according to the WHO.
| Ecological transition |
The WHO called on governments to lead “a fair, equitable and rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and the transition to a clean energy future.” He highlighted “encouraging progress” on commitments to decarbonization and advocated creating a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty that would “fairly and equitably” phase out coal and other fossil fuels harmful to the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, nearly 31 million people in the Greater Horn of Africa face acute hunger and acute malnutrition threatens 11 million children as this region grapples with one of the worst droughts in decades. Climate change already has an impact on food security and will worsen if current trends persist , according to the WHO.
The recent floods in Pakistan are the result of climate change and have devastated vast swaths of the country, affecting more than 33 million people and damaging nearly 1,500 health facilities.
“A climate policy focused on health would help achieve a planet that has cleaner air, more abundant and safe fresh water and food, more effective and fair health and social protection systems and, as a result, healthier people,” he indicated. The OMS.
In addition, this UN agency stressed that investment in clean energy will produce health gains that will double offset those investments. There are proven interventions capable of reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, for example by implementing higher standards for vehicle emissions, which have been estimated to save about 2.4 million lives per year, through improve air quality and reduce global warming by 0.5°C by 2050.
The cost of renewable energy sources has decreased significantly in recent years and solar energy is now cheaper than coal or gas in most major economies, the WHO noted.
