A recent report highlights the escalating health threats posed by climate change, with 10 out of 15 monitored indicators reaching alarming new records. These include increased elderly deaths from heat, the spread of infectious diseases, and food scarcity linked to severe weather events. The report emphasizes the critical need for urgent climate action amidst rising global temperatures and the complicity of major fossil fuel companies in exacerbating the crisis.
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant threat to global health, according to a recently published report which underscores that “wasted time has been paid in lives.” This report arrives at a critical juncture as the world grapples with devastating heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods, all contributing to 2023 anticipated to be the hottest year recorded. The timing aligns with the imminent 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, and shortly before a pivotal United States election that may see the return of climate change skeptic Donald Trump to presidential office. The eighth Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, crafted by a coalition of 122 experts—many affiliated with esteemed UN agencies like the World Health Organization—paints a grim picture marked by rising mortality rates and increasing delays in addressing the crisis. Of the 15 indicators monitored over the past eight years, 10 have alarmingly “reached concerning new records.” These indicators encompass a wide array of health threats, including escalating extreme weather events, a rise in heat-related elder fatalities, the proliferation of infectious diseases, and food scarcity driven by agricultural losses due to climate phenomena. Marina Romanello, the Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown, articulated the report’s dire findings, revealing “record threats to the health and survival of people in every country, to levels we have never seen before.” Specifically, the report indicates an alarming 167 percent increase in deaths among individuals over 65 attributed to heat exposure since the 1990s. Furthermore, escalating temperatures have expanded the geographic range of disease-carrying mosquitoes, resulting in a new record of over 5 million dengue fever cases globally last year. The report highlights the significant loss of approximately 5 percent of the planet’s tree cover from 2016 to 2022, which adversely affects the Earth’s capacity to sequester carbon dioxide. It also emphasizes the complicity of oil and gas corporations, along with certain governments and financial institutions, in exacerbating climate change. Despite decades of prior warnings, the World Meteorological Organization reported a continual rise in global emissions of primary greenhouse gases last year. Notably, major fossil fuel companies, which continue to post record profits, have escalated their production since the previous year, and numerous states introduced new subsidies for fossil fuels in response to the soaring oil and gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The topic of climate change and its impacts on health has become increasingly pertinent as evidence mounts regarding the detrimental effects of environmental shifts on human well-being. This report serves as an essential tool in illustrating how climate-related phenomena correlate with health outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations such as the elderly. With the ongoing discussions surrounding climate policy, this report raises critical awareness about the interdependence between climate action and public health. Understanding these connections is vital for informing strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on health, as well as for engaging policymakers at national and international levels.
In conclusion, the recent report presents a stark reminder of the profound and growing health threats posed by climate change, encapsulated by record-breaking indicators across various domains. As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events proliferate, urgent action is required to protect vulnerable populations and address the systemic issues leading to these health crises. The involvement of various sectors in perpetuating fossil fuel dependence underscores the complexity of the challenge at hand, necessitating a collaborative and comprehensive response to halt and reverse the damaging trends associated with climate change.
Original Source: www.manilatimes.net
