We are all experiencing important climate changes, regardless of where we live on the planet. The consequences of these profound climate changes can be very severe for global health.

According to this editorial in the Lancet, “Human-induced climate change has made extreme heatwaves, wildfires, and flash floods substantially more likely and more severe. Yet, health impacts are widely underestimated. Most countries have failed to adequately plan, adapt, and use evidence-based information to protect their populations. For some countries, this is a dangerous failure of action, but others lack the adequate human and financial resources to respond. So far this year, India, Pakistan, the USA, China, and Europe have experienced extreme and dangerous heatwaves that damaged vital infrastructure and threatened to overwhelm emergency service capacity. The mortality toll is staggering. According to WHO, there were at least 1700 premature and avoidable deaths in Spain and Portugal alone. For each of these deaths, many more people will have suffered serious ill health.”1

The severity of the events in 2022 as related to climate change, and the significant health impacts of people around the globe, prompted global institutions and foundations to take action in an attempt to avoid future extreme situations like those experienced this year.

The editorial concludes with a note of optimism and a warning about the role politicians play in this matter. “Global funders, including the Wellcome Trust and US National Institutes of Health, are prioritizing climate-related research. But lack of political engagement threatens the translation of research into lifesaving practice, policy, and meaningful change. The heatwaves and wildfires in 2022 were forecast, but even short-term preparation and risk mitigation were shockingly poor, resulting in avoidable deaths equivalent to several mass mortality events. On July 28, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution declaring access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment to be a universal human right. The public must understand the gaping deficiencies in the response and demand action from policymakers to deliver on this fundamental human right. Mitigation might save lives in the short term, but only global political action will alter the trajectory of rising heat-related deaths.”1

Read the complete editorial here.

References

  1. The Lancet. (2022, August). 2022 heatwaves: a failure to proactively manage the risks. The Lancet, 400(10350), 407. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01480-5

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