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Context:

According to the latest report of Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, people across the world are facing record-breaking threats to their wellbeing, health, and survival from climate change, which has raised temperatures to dangerous new heights.

Highlights of the Report:

Statistic	Data
Land area facing extreme drought conditions	48% of the world’s land area last year
Increase in people experiencing food insecurity	151 million more people compared to 1981-2010
Land affected by extreme rainfall	60% of lands last year
Impact of extreme rainfall	Caused floods and increased risks of water contamination or infectious diseases
Lost labour hours due to extreme heat in 2023	512 billion potential hours, worth $835 billion in potential income
Increase in hours of heat stress exposure	27.7% more hours than in the 1990s for outdoor physical activities
Increase in dangerous temperature days per person in 2023	50 more days than without climate change
Increase in heat-related deaths among people over 65	167% above the number in the 1990s (expected increase without climate change was 65%)
Increase in people exposed to high particulate matter	31% increase between 2003–07 and 2018–22
Increase in average annual economic losses from weather-related extreme events	23% increase from 2010–14 to 2019–23, reaching $227 billion per year

Climate Change Impact on Health

• The frequency, duration and intensity of heatwaves are increasing at an alarming rate.
• Air pollution is the 4th main contributor to death, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases worldwide. Every year nearly 7 million people die from exposure to outdoor and household air pollution, mostly in South and Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions.
• Climate change drives changes in weather patterns and extreme weather events, creating the conditions for infectious diseases to emerge and spread.
  • • For example, in 2015-2019, climate suitability for the transmission of malaria increased by ~39% and ~150% for regions in Africa and the Western Pacific, respectively.
    • From 1950 to 2018, the global climate suitability for the transmission of dengue fever increased by 8.9% for Aedes aegypti and 15.0% for Aedes albopictus. These mosquitoes are also the principal vectors for chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika virus.
• Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are decreasing yields, making it harder to increase or even maintain global food production.
  • • A recent study found that climate change decreased the productivity of the global agricultural system by 21% since 1961—a slowdown that is equivalent to losing the last 7 years of productivity growth.

About the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change Report

Lancet Countdown is an annually published international, multidisciplinary collaboration, dedicated to monitoring the evolving health profile of climate change and providing an independent assessment of the delivery of commitments made by governments worldwide under the Paris Agreement. The Lancet Countdown report was established following the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change.

Collaborative Effort: The Report is funded by Welcome and developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and various other institutions.

The Lancet Countdown tracks 53 indicators across five key domains:

• Climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability
• Adaptation, planning, and resilience for health
• Mitigation actions and health co-benefits
• Economics and finance
• Public and political engagement

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

• The WMO traces its origins back to the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), established in 1873. The IMO served as a platform for the exchange of weather data and research.
• The WMO officially came into being through the World Meteorological Convention of 1947.This transformed the IMO into an intergovernmental organisation under the United Nations system.
• The WMO was formally established in 1950.It operates as a specialised agency of the United Nations, focusing on meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and related geophysical sciences.
• Currently, the WMO has 193 member states and territories.

Conclusion

With increasing temperatures and extreme weather events, the health impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt across the world. More people are dying from extreme heat; the suitability for the transmission of infectious diseases is increasing; and crop yields are falling, causing a rise in food insecurity.

Health and climate professionals understand the urgency, there have already been several calls to action in the health community, but more work has to be done in order to push for public and political engagement towards tackling both climate change and health. There is now a window of opportunity to take action together, aligning climate change response and the pandemic recovery to deliver improved public health for generations to come.

REFERENCE- https://www.thelancet.com/countdown-health-climate/about

Source:

INDIAN EXPRESS

 

PRACTICE QUESTION Q.Discuss the impact of climate change on public health focusing on the effects of extreme weather events and health challenges faced by vulnerable populations. Propose strategies to mitigate these health impacts in the context of India. (250 words)