The threat posed to human health by Kovid is now well understood by the whole world. In contrast, the enormous health hazards of global warming, with its wide-ranging effects on our well-being, are poorly recognized and poorly understood.
Still, climate change is harming human health right now. For example, during the 2020 monsoon season in Bangladesh, a quarter of the country was flooded. More than 1.3 million homes were damaged and hundreds died. Rising sea levels due to climate change will make such events more frequent in low-lying countries like Bangladesh. It would also bring flood risk on a similar scale to more communities around the world.
Severe floods do more than destroy homes. They discharge raw sewage into the streets and contaminate the drinking water, thereby spreading the infection. They also destroy crops, promote malnutrition. And rising sea levels make drinking water saline, increasing rates of high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and premature birth.
These are hardly the only health risks implied by climate change. Warmer temperatures lead to a higher incidence of heatstroke. And prolonged droughts, like severe floods, reduce agricultural productivity and production.
How global warming will affect our health is not yet fully understood. But its impact is becoming clearer as changes in our environment become more dramatic.
The world urgently needs a global strategy to reduce climate-related disease and death in the coming decades. With the COVID pandemic, governments will need to work with scientists to develop effective solutions. Part of any effective approach will be aimed at limiting future heat, and part will be aimed at adapting to a warmer climate. But both imperatives must be pursued in ways that protect or even enhance public health.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-26) currently underway in Glasgow is an ideal opportunity for world leaders to demonstrate that they understand that global warming is a health crisis, and that they are aware of the successes and shortcomings of the pandemic response. are learning. In less than two years, COVID has claimed lakhs of lives and disturbed our lives. We have seen scientists, governments and companies collaborating to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. But we have also seen how narrow national interests and socioeconomic inequality can limit access to affordable options, prolonging the crisis.
The meeting of world leaders at CoP-26 is the perfect opportunity to show that they understand that climate change is not only an urgent environmental challenge, but one of the most urgent health challenges we have ever faced.
Governments are not alone in this battle. Civil-society organizations need to support efforts to address the health challenges posed by climate change in the coming decades. We must build a collaborative global process that generates, values and most importantly uses scientific evidence to act on climate change and improve health for all. At Wellcome Trust, we are committed to funding research that enables us to better understand and address the negative effects of global warming on health. We will also strongly advocate for evidence and research to be at the center of policy making.
Like any health threat, prevention is better than cure. There will be no vaccine to immunize people against the effects of heat waves, wildfires, drought, or severe flooding, so reducing the rate at which global temperatures are rising is the best preventive measure we have. That means reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
Fortunately, cutting emissions can have a direct, positive impact on health. For example, the global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy could increase the average life expectancy globally by at least one year. Similarly, widespread adoption of a diet rich in vegetables and low in meat will reduce greenhouse gases and reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia.
But while cutting emissions will reduce future losses, it will not eliminate the health threats that have already been implied by decades of global warming. We have no choice but to adapt to life on a hotter planet.
For example, in response to the increasing threat of flooding, many coastal communities, including Kenya, the US and Vietnam, are planting mangrove forests. Mangroves can grow in salt water, and they provide some protection from flooding. They also encourage biodiversity and can support fisheries and floating vegetable gardens.
The task now is to create a range of creative choices that people around the world can use to decide how to keep themselves and their communities safe. It is the responsibility of local governments to treat the inevitable symptoms of a warming planet and help communities adapt, but we also need a level of international coordination and new knowledge generation that can only be delivered by an agreed global strategy on climate and health. May go.
It won’t be easy and time is not with us. But there is science. ©2021/Project Syndicate
Julia Gillard is the former Prime Minister of Australia and chair of the Wellcome Trust.
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