Appeal: The climate crisis should be declared a health emergency

2023-10-27 08:35:20, Sociale CNA

Researchers from all over the world have asked the World Health Organization, WHO, to declare the climate crisis as a global health emergency. Climate change favors, among other things, the spread of diseases and makes it difficult to provide food, according to them.

More than 200 scientific journals simultaneously published the researchers' appeal for this state of emergency to be declared before spring 2024, when the WHO General Assembly takes place. Well-known journals such as "The Lancet" or "The British Medical Journal" also belong here.

According to the researchers, it is a dangerous mistake to look at the climate crisis and the natural one separately, the appeal states. Human health is directly affected by both the climate crisis and the loss of species in nature. "This indivisible planetary crisis will have major health effects because it can devastate social and economic systems," the authors write.

Appeal: The climate crisis should be declared a health emergency

Diseases, lack of water and food

Climate change leads, according to this, to "shrinkage of land, shelter, food and water." This will have major effects on human health and exacerbate poverty, "which further leads to mass migration and conflict." Even rising temperatures and weather extremes lead to the spread of infectious diseases. Environmental pollution damages water resources, due to the pollution of the seas, the number of fish as food will decrease. Reducing the diversity of species will make it difficult for humanity to eat healthily, the researchers point out. More intervention in natural areas brings man into closer contact with many species. This increases the risk of diseases and the transfer of parasites to humans. According to researchers, ecological systems will be before the collapse and the effect on health catastrophic. "Political decision makers need to distinguish between the risks of serious health threats from the planetary crisis and the health benefits if the crisis is defeated."

Declaring a health emergency is the highest level of alert that the WHO can issue. The World Health Organization did such a thing during the Corona pandemic./ DW