FIn the face of one of the greatest threats to human health, the compelling goal of urgent action to combat climate change remains unfulfilled. Climate change is real and happening, and its impacts are being felt around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in four deaths – a whopping number – are due to avoidable environmental causes and that climate change is exacerbating these risks. Climate change poses a variety of complex health challenges, from extreme weather events to the spread of infectious diseases and the exacerbation of chronic diseases.
We cannot prevent it with a vaccine or treat it with an antibiotic. But we know we can mitigate the impact. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors is essential to limit climate change and ensure the 1.5°C target remains achievable. To do this, we must decarbonize our energy systems and reduce our emissions by at least 43% over the next seven years.
There is a connection between health and climate change
If we don’t act, climate change will soon overwhelm health systems around the world by 2030. Extreme weather events – such as droughts, floods and heatwaves – will increase in frequency and severity as the planet warms. For example, the floods in Pakistan in 2022 affected a total of 33 million people, including eight million displaced people.
We know the worst is yet to come. The World Bank estimates that climate change will displace around 216 million people by 2050 unless we act urgently and boldly. Climate change is endangering lives and livelihoods as global food systems struggle to feed a growing world and water sources are threatened. They are also causing an increase in infectious diseases such as dengue fever and cholera, putting millions of people at risk.
Actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can have major health benefits, including reducing air pollution, which kills seven million people each year. The connection between health and climate change is beyond doubt. The international community must now accelerate the energy transition away from fossil fuels while strengthening resilience.
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