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By:
Blerta Haxhiu
- 30 October 2024 15:20
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A new report, compiled by more than 120 leading global experts, says health threats linked to climate change have reached "record levels". From heat exposure to droughts, floods and famine, the report, published in The Lancet on Wednesday, says people in every country face record threats to health and survival from a rapidly changing climate.
This summer a several-day heat wave disrupted normal life in Pakistan, especially in its largest city, Karachi, where doctors treated thousands of heatstroke victims.
Several people fell unconscious in the city and, according to local media, some later died.
Temperatures soared to 47 degrees Celsius in Sindh province.
Authorities in Karachi, the provincial capital, urged people to stay indoors, stay hydrated and avoid unnecessary travel.
Pakistan's climate is warming much faster than the global average, with a potential increase of 1.3 to 4.9 degrees Celsius by the 2090s, based on 1986-2005, according to a World Bank expert panel on climate change.
And, according to a new report, that could be a sign of the fallout to come.
Published on Wednesday, a report by 120 leading global experts says the health threats of climate change have now reached "record levels".
"With our data, with our evidence, what we're seeing is that climate change is a fundamental health issue," says Dr. Marina Romanello, executive director of Lancet Countdown at University College London.
"It is affecting the foundations of health, well-being, healthy living. We know that climate change is the biggest threat we are facing in the short and long term to our health. So it's all about health."
The Lancet Countdown's eighth annual report found that heat-related deaths continue to rise and may one day overtake cold-related deaths.
"We have reached new and very disturbing levels in the last year of data," she says.
According to Romanello, the most vulnerable age group is over 65.
"We are also seeing, as a result of extreme heat exposure, that people's capacity to work outside is increasingly limited and workers' health is being put at risk."
The report found that more frequent heat waves and droughts were responsible for 151 million more people experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity - in 124 countries - in 2022.
Released ahead of COP29, to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, this November, the Lancet Countdown's eighth annual indicator report is designed to inform policymakers and possibly influence talks.
Their authors are calling for governments to stop investing in fossil fuels and turn to renewable energy.
They say that people's health, livelihood and well-being can benefit from this step.
