First ever COP ‘Health Day’
The 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at Dubai, was held in a year when the planet is facing unprecedented challenges.
From it being the hottest year on record to wildfires that have devoured communities and floods that have wiped away cities, the evidence of the current crisis is crystal clear.
The climate crisis is a public health crisis.
Severe temperatures, heat stress, excessive rainfall and floods, an increase in water- and vector-borne diseases, and more frequent extreme weather events are all evidence of this
existential threat to our health security.
That is why the WHO declared “Climate change as the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century”.
Marginalised communities are on the front lines of the worst impacts of the changing climate.
According to a World Bank estimate, “Climate change could drag more than 100 million people back into extreme poverty by 2030”.
Much of this reversal would be due to the “negative impacts on health”.
The climate risk index shows that eight out of the 10 countries most impacted by extreme weather events are the low- and middle-income countries.
Need for plans
Placing health at the forefront of climate planning in India is not just a necessity but an imperative for several compelling reasons.
Over 700 million individuals in India, representing a significant portion of the population residing in rural areas, rely directly on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and forests, as well as natural resources such as water, biodiversity, mangroves, coastal zones, and grasslands for their livelihoods.
It is crucial to proactively formulate plans and policies that cater to their health needs.
Prioritising health in climate planning safeguards both immediate and long-term well-being in the face of climate change impacts.
This focus enhances community resilience and disease mitigation, ensuring that populations can better cope with challenges and contribute to sustainable development.
Integrating health into climate planning is not only economically prudent, reducing health-care costs and increasing productivity, but also strategically crucial for the overall effectiveness and sustainability of climate actions in India.
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