Growing calls for the world to confront the numerous ways that global warming affects human health have triggered the first day of crucial United Nations climate talks, which begin next week.
Extreme heat, air pollution, and the spread of lethal infectious illnesses are just a few of the reasons why the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the climate catastrophe to be the single greatest health hazard confronting humanity.
According to the WHO, global warming must be reduced to 1.5°C to “avert catastrophic health impacts and prevent millions of climate change-related deaths.”
However, according to current national carbon-cutting goals, the globe is on course to warm up to 2.9°C this century, according to the UN.
While no one will be totally secure from the effects of the climate disaster, researchers believe that children, women, the elderly, migrants, and individuals living in less developed countries would be the most vulnerable.
On December 3, the COP28 discussions in Dubai will hold the first-ever “health day” at a climate conference.
This year is shaping up to be the warmest on record. Heatwaves are projected to become more frequent and intense as the planet continues to warm. Heat is estimated to have killed more than 70,000 people in Europe last summer, according to researchers, who revised the previous figure up from 62,000.
According to the Lancet Countdown report released earlier this week, people worldwide were exposed to an average of 86 days of life-threatening temperatures last year.
The number of people over the age of 65 who died from heat increased by 85 percent between 1991 and 2000 and 2013-2022, according to the report.
According to the Lancet Countdown, under a 2C warming scenario, more than five times as many people will die from heat each year by 2050.
