Climate inaction has spawned a global health crisis

MANY believe that global warming is a slow-burning fuse, that there is a considerable lag before its full impact is felt.

That flawed argument is one of the main reasons the world has put off clear, decisive action on preventing the planet from further heating up.

The mistaken perception persists that there is enough time to work out solutions. That is why we only spring into action when climate change hits home — droughts disrupting the food and water supply, floodwaters engulfing neighborhoods, and intense forest fires ravaging hillsides.

At the ongoing 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, or COP30, in Belem, Brazil, an initiative has been presented that focuses on warming as triggering a worldwide health catastrophe.

A special report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Brazilian government indicated that extreme heat induced by climate change kills more than half a million people each year.

It also said one in 12 hospitals worldwide could face climate-related shutdowns.

“The climate crisis is a health crisis — not in the distant future, but here and now,” stressed WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

With global temperatures soaring above 1.5 degrees Celsius, 3.3 to 3.6 billion people are now highly vulnerable to climate impacts, WHO said.

During Europe’s scorching summer last year, more than 62,700 heat-related deaths were reported across 32 countries on the continent.

This year, more than 24,400 deaths have been blamed so far on heat exposure.

The WHO report highlighted deficiencies in health adaptation planning.

Among them:

– Only 54 percent of national health adaptation plans assess risks to health facilities.

– Fewer than 30 percent consider income disparities.

– Just 20 percent take gender into account.

– Less than 1 percent includes people with disabilities.

Dr. Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London, is convinced that “the solutions are at hand to avoid a climate catastrophe — and communities and local governments around the world are proving that progress is possible.”

“Rapidly phasing out fossil fuels in favor of clean renewable energy and efficient energy use remains the most powerful lever to slow climate change and protect lives,” Romanello said. “At the same time, shifting to healthier, climate-friendly diets and more sustainable agricultural systems would massively cut pollution, greenhouse gases and deforestation, potentially saving over 10 million lives a year.”

Released last October, the Lancet Countdown said the “continued overreliance on fossil fuels and failure to adapt to a heating world” are driving the climate-induced health crisis.

The report, produced in collaboration with WHO, found that 12 of 20 key indicators tracking health threats have reached record levels, showing how climate inaction is costing lives, straining health systems and undermining economies.

While progress has been made, WHO said coverage remains uneven, especially in least developed countries and small island states, which are the most at risk from climate change.

At COP30, a coalition of more than 35 philanthropies last week pledged $300 million to seek solutions at the intersection of climate and health.

The pledge could create the momentum, but a lot more needs to be done to make the initiative sustainable.

Ethel Maciel, COP30’s special envoy for health, maintained that hospitals and other health structures must be reinforced to cope with extreme events that will happen with increasing frequency.

Health professionals must be trained for “events that will be caused by what we are already experiencing in these climate changes.”

Research and innovation should be stepped up “to develop heat-resistant medicines and vaccines, cut pollution in health supply chains, and expand renewable energy use.”

As it is, climate inaction “is costing lives, straining health systems, and undermining economies.”

In his remarks during the opening of COP30, UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell summed up the challenge that lies ahead.

Humanity, Stiell said, “can only win this global climate fight if we connect stronger climate actions to people’s top priorities in their daily lives.

“And there are few higher priorities than our health, which makes this work at the climate-health nexus so crucial.”

The crisis is already upon us. We need a definitive response now.