{"id":73592,"date":"2024-11-13T15:08:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T15:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/touchrespiratory.com\/?post_type=insight&p=73592"},"modified":"2024-11-13T15:57:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T15:57:32","slug":"cop29-spotlight-who-director-general-calls-climate-change-a-health-crisis","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/touchrespiratory.com\/insight\/cop29-spotlight-who-director-general-calls-climate-change-a-health-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"COP29 spotlight: WHO Director-General calls climate change a health crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

COP29<\/span><\/a><\/span>,<\/span> currently underway in Baku, is bringing together global leaders to address the multifaceted issues of climate change, with healthcare firmly on the agenda. In a speech delivered by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, he emphasized the critical link between climate change and human health, reinforcing that the climate crisis is, at its core, a health crisis. The escalating climate emergency is no longer a distant threat; it is already affecting human lives, particularly those of vulnerable groups like women and children.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"In his address, Dr Tedros highlighted the direct threats that climate change poses to human health, pointing to rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, extreme weather events, and air pollution as major contributors to health risks. He highlighted specific examples of these impacts, including how air pollution contributes to 7 million premature deaths annually<\/span>1<\/span><\/sup> and how rising temperatures are expanding the spread of infectious diseases like malaria.<\/span>2<\/span><\/sup> Climate-driven water scarcity, food insecurity, and malnutrition were emphasized as factors disproportionately affecting children, with 920 million children experiencing water scarcity and millions facing developmental challenges due to poor nutrition.<\/span>3<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n

The speech also highlighted the economic dimension of climate change, revealing projections that climate change could push an additional 158 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.<\/span>4<\/span> This statement emphasized that climate action is necessary not just for the environment but as a critical measure for safeguarding human health and economic well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Tedros called for urgent climate action, detailing five specific interventions from the WHO\u2019s COP29 report,<\/span>5 <\/span><\/sup>released ahead of the summit, that could prevent up to 1.9 million premature deaths. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n