WHO Declares Climate Change a Threat to Global Health
Image: Climate change is a health emergency. #Melbourneclimatestrike IMG_5218" by John Englart (Takver) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The World Health Organization (WHO), through its decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, has recognized climate change as an imminent threat to global health.
The resolution, passed at its 77th Assembly, was overwhelmingly supported by Member States and presented an overview of the existential threat that climate change poses to human health.
The Health Assembly asserted that radical action is needed to safeguard the health of the planet, underscoring the interdependence of environmental sustainability and public health.
The Assembly called for the amplification and expansion of existing efforts to combat climate change within its core functions.
This includes prioritizing health considerations in national and international climate policy frameworks and supporting countries in building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems.
The new resolution, which has about 21 priorities, recognizes that “any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.”
It also acknowledges that accelerated climate change adaptation and mitigation measures can provide co-benefits for health and sustainable development.
The resolution commits member states to promote research and development to detect, prevent, test for, treat, and respond to climate-sensitive diseases and health outcomes.
It also urges support for affected communities in their efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, creating an enabling environment to facilitate equitable access to health tools for those hit hardest by climate-sensitive diseases and health impacts of climate change.
Read: Cancellation of UN Climate Weeks: An Opportunity For Africa to Lead Climate Negotiations
The resolution, proposed by 17 countries with Kenya been the only Africa country, requests the WHO Director-General to develop a results-based, needs-oriented, and capabilities-driven global WHO plan of action on climate change and health within existing resources by the 78th World Health Assembly in 2025.
The plan, the resolution proposed, should be coherent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, firmly integrating climate across the technical work of the WHO at all three levels of the Organization, and emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral cooperation.
The resolution marks a key moment in the fight against climate change, calling on countries to implement robust climate-resilient health initiatives tailored to their unique circumstances and guide cross-sectoral actions that promote health and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
By: Ibrahim Khalilulahi Usman
SOURCES: WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, SEVENTY-SEVENTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY A77/A/CONF./7, Agenda item 15.4
Image Credit: “Climate change is a health emergency. #Melbourneclimatestrike IMG_5218” by John Englart (Takver) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
0 Comments