The World Health Organization has emphasized that the climate crisis is, unequivocally, a health crisis.
The group said climate change is a direct and immediate hazard to human health, affecting roughly half of the world's population today rather than in the distant future.
"The climate crisis drives the extreme weather that is taking lives around the world, it fuels the spread of infectious and noncommunicable disease, and it undermines food security," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
One in four deaths attributed to preventable environmental factor
According to the WHO, one in every four fatalities can be attributed to preventable environmental factors, with an extra 250 000 people dying each year as a result of climate change.
Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, air pollution, wildfires, and reduced water, land, and food security cause deaths and have a detrimental influence on infectious diseases, heat-related illnesses, noncommunicable diseases, and pregnancy outcomes.
Floods in eastern Libya killed 4,000 people this month, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Another 9,000 people are still missing.
Last year's unprecedented heat wave in Europe claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people, according to a report released earlier this year by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), with the continent on course to witness as many as 120,000 heat-related deaths by 2050.
Climate change's health repercussions have substantial economic implications.
According to the World Bank, the direct health effects of climate change may cause up to 132 million people to fall into poverty by 2030, and nearly 1.2 billion people would be displaced by 2050.
Health investments produce significant returns, with research indicating that every dollar spent on health can generate up to US$ 4.
"Climate change is the biggest threat to health in the 21st century, and our very survival is at stake," said Dr. Vanessa Kerry, WHO director-general special envoy for climate change and health. "We can no longer afford to suffer from the pandemic of poor and expedient choices which continue to harm our planet and its population.
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Climate-friendly healthcare system
At a summit in New York, international health ministers decided to emphasize the development of climate-friendly healthcare systems and lobby for climate finance.
Health officials emphasized the perilous confluence of climate and health as part of the kick-off activities for New York Climate Week, held annually during the United Nations General Assembly and organized by the World Health Organization and the COP28 Presidency.
The event set the tone for urging leaders to ensure investment in adaptation and resilience solutions-a core part of the COP28 agenda-advancing more equitable solutions, particularly in countries that emit the least carbon but are most adversely impacted by climate-driven health outcomes.
This event also acted as a catalyst for mainstreaming the issues and opportunities at hand, as well as presenting the significant activities of WHO, the COP28 Presidency, and other key stakeholders in tackling the effects of climate change on health.
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