By Oforiwa Darko
123 countries represented at COP 28, have signed the declaration on climate and health. The political declaration marks the first time that the health impacts of climate change have taken centre stage in 28 years of UN climate talks, COP.
“That is a big achievement” COP 28 President”, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said.
China committed to the declaration shortly after Dr Al Jaber’s remarks, bringing the final tally to 124. While it is not legally binding, the declaration serves as a voluntary call to action outside the formal process of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The milestone declaration calls for climate action to achieve benefits for health from deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, including just transitions, reducing air pollution, active mobility and shifts to sustainable healthy diets.
However, the health declaration does not mention fossil fuels, a contentious issue for several governments, despite overwhelming and conclusive evidence that global warming is caused by the excessive burning of fossil fuels.
The WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates at COP 28, that it was long overdue for discussions around environmental health, rising sea levels and melting glaciers, to be extended to encompass the direct impacts of such climate shocks on human health.
He reiterated WHO’s welcome of the new declaration to accelerate actions to protect people from growing climate impacts, by the world leaders during the World Climate Action Summit.
“Health care makes up around 4.4% of global climate emissions and takes up around 10% of global GDP. Health systems will need a transformational shift in order to become climate resilient, low carbon sustainable and equitable, especially in vulnerable countries” he said.
The maiden ‘Health Day’ at COP, highlighted several key events, including public-private partnerships for healthcare climate action and unlocking relevant financial and political commitments.
Ministers of health, environment and finance made announcements and delivered addresses alongside notable figures including Bill Gates and US climate envoy, John Kerry, all geared towards a roadmap for action to address the impact of climate change on human health.
Scientific assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other expert bodies show that the current climate policies announced and enacted by governments are far too little to address the climate crisis.
More than three billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change, according to the UN health agency. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause tens of thousands of additional deaths per year from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone.
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