CoP-28 must focus on the climate-fuelled health crisis
Our dependence on fossil fuels is damaging our health and pushing temperatures to record levels. The interlinked climate calamities of the past few years—extreme weather events, food insecurity, water scarcity, and worsening air pollution—are a direct result of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. But the adverse effects we are experiencing today could be just a preview of the catastrophes that await us.
That is the key finding of the latest Lancet Countdown report on climate change and health, authored by a group of leading health and climate scientists that I led. Undoubtedly, this grim conclusion will not come as a shock to the millions suffering from climate-related health issues and their loved ones. Most of us, wherever we live, are directly or indirectly affected by this crisis.
As climate change worsens, its effects on our physical and mental health are no longer hypothetical. Our research finds that, compared with 1981-2010, the increasing frequency of heatwaves and droughts over the past few years has exposed 127 million more people to moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021. Meanwhile, outdoor air pollution from the combustion of dirty fuels claims 1.9 million lives annually, and infectious diseases like dengue are reaching new regions.
Yet, despite 27 years of annual climate-change talks, world leaders still refuse to acknowledge the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels. Despite overwhelming evidence that fossil-fuel combustion is the primary driver of today’s health crisis, a draft statement on climate change and health, set to be released during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (CoP-28) in Dubai, omits any reference to the issue. With many countries and companies backtracking on climate
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