According to WHO, climate change is a major threat for global health

The World Health Organization, (WHO), says climate change poses a grave threat to human health and calls for urgent action.

“If we do not take action now to improve planet health, we put our future health at stake. Everything is at risk when health is at stake. This is what we have learned from COVID-19,” Takeshi Kashi, WHO regional director for Western Pacific Region, stated in a virtual press conference held from Manila on World Health Day 7 April.

“Climate crisis” is also a crisis of health. Climate ChangeKasai stated that climate change has many impacts on our health.

Annually, 3.5million people in the WHO Western Pacific Region die due to preventable environmental factors such as air pollution, Extreme weather eventsor waterborne diseases; and each 14 second a person is killed by air pollution in this region. High levels are also causing an increase of non-communicable illnesses, such as strokes and heart or lung diseases.

The Impact of climate changeOn human healthThe most severe effects of climate change are felt in the small Pacific Island countries, which have the least carbon footprint. According to the WHO, these countries account for two-thirds worldwide of countries that experience the greatest relative losses from environmental catastrophes each year.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, released on April 4, shows that limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius is still possible. global greenhouse gas emissionsTo peak in 2025 and to be reduced by 25% by 2030. The IPCC report is focused on reducing emissions and outlines viable options in each sector that can preserve the possibility of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“At the moment the Health sectorFiji accounts for around five percent of the global climate footprint and there are ways to improve,” said Ifereimi Waqainabete (Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services), at the event.

Waqainabete believes that the health sector has a role to play in reducing its own carbon emissions and implementing effective mitigation and adaptation strategies for dealing with the changing climate’s impact on health.

Fiji was the first country to issue its own national guidelines for climate resilient, sustainable healthcare facilities. Waqainabete stated that this guideline will guide our interventions to strengthen our environmental footprint in key areas such as water, sanitation, hygiene and energy infrastructure. Technology and the workforce are also included.

Renzo Guinto, a Filipino physician and public health specialist, spoke at the WHO event. He said that healthcare must be adaptable to climate change and that can bend without breaking. With a ready workforce, and stable supplies, we must be the last sector to survive a climate disaster.

Although the Philippines is now facing increasingly serious health threats due to the climate crisis, the measures taken do not address slow-onset climatic effects, according Renato Revertor Constantino, executive director at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

Constantino cited WHO projections that the mean annual temperature in the Philippines could rise by about 3.7 degrees Celsius during 1990–2100 in a high-emissions scenario. “The projected increase of heat indices will cause an increasingly severe and frequent thermal impact on labor, especially for those working in agriculture, contracts without health care coverage, informal urban services, and enterprises.

“Higher temperatures will make land more dangerous Water scarcityConstantino stated that flooding, drought, and displacement all have a severe impact on agricultural production, which in turn will lead to more food system breakdowns. She also said that rising heat will increase hypertensive levels in women.

Despite the urgency, progress towards achieving the climate targets has been slowed. “The fundamental challenge is how we can move beyond the rhetoric and actually take practical action. It is important to understand that action is possible, not just necessary,” Mark Jacobs (Pacific technical support director and WHO representative in the South Pacific), told SciDev.Net.

“We don’t need to wait for someone else’s big solution to this problem to be solved. Jacobs stated that everyone can and should take steps to reduce their own contribution to climate changes as individuals, families, communities, or countries.

According to a business-as usual scenario, climate change is projected to cause additional 250,000 deaths annually between 2030 and 2050.

Jeni Miller, executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance stated in a media release that “by putting equity and health at the center of climate policiesmaking, governments can deliver policymaking that garners widespread support and maximizes returns on investment.”

Miller stated that policies that reduce greenhouse gases can also deliver cleaner air, water, healthier diets and more liveable cities. They can also provide transportation systems that are designed to benefit the well-being and health of people.

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