Address Climate Change to protect human and planetary health: The Lancet

By Kudakwashe Pembere

WITH an estimated 13 million deaths attributed to avoidable environmental causes, it is necessary to lose sight of the threat ecological degradation poses to planetary and human health, The Lancet has said.

The world commemorates World Health Day on April 7 this year running under the theme “Our planet, our health” with a reminder that global crises are intertwined with climate change.

“April 7 marks WHO’s annual World Health Day, which this year has the theme “Our planet, our health”. The future health of the planet and human health are inextricably linked.

An estimated 13 million deaths annually are attributable to avoidable environmental causes, and that number will continue to grow unless overconsumption and reliance on fossil fuels are curbed.

“Coming amid the COVID-19 pandemic, global economic disquiet, and war in Europe, this World Health Day is a timely and necessary reminder that global crises are entwined with climate change, and that we should not lose sight of the existential threat that ecological degradation poses to planetary and human health,” said The Lancet.

The Lancet noted that if climate change is not mitigated the negative impact of environmental change will increase human health risks.

“The Sixth Assessment Report by Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published on Feb 28, documents the wide-ranging negative impacts that environmental change is having on human health and wellbeing, and how these health risks will multiply if the internationally agreed goals to limit climate change are not met,” said The Lancet.

“Global heating is leading to more frequent and extreme weather events, such as heat waves, wildfires, floods, and storms—which endanger lives, harm mental health, spread disease, and wreak damage to people’s livelihoods and the wider economy.

More frequent extreme events in the future, and continuing climate change, will contribute to the burden of air pollution, to water and food insecurity, and undernutrition.”

The Lancets added that the world needs to invst in research, surveillance and preventive health to be on the guard against zoonotic diseases.

“ The geographical ranges of infectious diseases, such as chikungunya, lime disease, and malaria, will increase as the climate warms, and greater encroachment of human settlements into wild areas could increase the risk of novel zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19.

The world needs equitable investment in research, surveillance, and preventive health to build global resilience to these emerging risks,” the Lancet said.

Lower Income Countries, according to The Lancet, are at high risk of the negative impact of climate change.

“The destabilizing effects of climate change are falling most heavily on the most vulnerable. Many lower-income countries are among the most vulnerable to sea-level rise, natural hazards, and food and water insecurity, and their lack of resources to mitigate against these impacts could lead to forced migrations.

It is imperative that higher-income countries follow commitments, reaffirmed at COP26, to fairly fund mitigation and adaptation activities in lower-income countries—including investment in health systems resilience,” said The Lancet.

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