Health For All — What About a Healthy Planet?
By Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of HIV, Health and Development, UNDP
The UN Climate Summit 2019 and UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which will take place on 23 September, are a critical opportunity to better connect science, policy and action for people and planet.
The world has never been more united around the idea of health for all. More than 100 low- and middle-income countries have already taken concrete steps toward UHC, advancing policies that better address the health needs of the poor and vulnerable communities.
Yet, discussions on UHC often overlook one of the most serious threats to human health: the climate crisis. In order to achieve health for all, we need a healthy planet.
Without urgent action, the climate crisis will undo decades of progress in global health. Rising temperatures, air pollution which already causes approximately 8 million deaths a year, declining access to clean water and rising food insecurity could create a perfect storm that rolls back advances in both health and development.
As temperatures rise, the geographic range of certain diseases will expand and transmission seasons will grow longer. A recent study found that more than 2 billion additional people could be at risk for dengue fever in 2080 if temperatures continue to rise. Warming oceans are causing areas that were once too cold for certain bacteria to flourish, such as northern Europe and Alaska, to be more susceptible to outbreaks of diseases like cholera. The World Bank has estimated that that global warming of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius could increase the number of people at risk for malaria by up to 5% and diarrhea by up to 10% and without concerted action, climate change could result in more than 100 million additional people living in poverty by 2030.
Extreme weather events like hurricanes and cyclones can also have disastrous effects on health. Each year, 22.5 million people are displaced by climate or weather-related disasters, a figure that is expected to rise as these types of events become more common. These “climate migrants” may lose access to essential health services, leaving them more vulnerable to disease outbreaks. In addition, losing their homes can take a serious toll on both mental and physical health.
Poor and vulnerable communities are more likely to suffer from the effects of climate crisis, further entrenching inequalities. With more people becoming vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks and non-communicable diseases, greater effort and investments will be needed to ensure that lifesaving tools like vaccines, bed nets and effective treatments reach those most in need.
Urgent and collective action is the only option. The climate and health communities must find common cause. The health sector must reduce its carbon footprint and scale up efforts to make health systems more resilient and sustainable. Health systems must also be able to withstand climate shocks — such as drought, heat waves and extreme rainfall — and continue to have reliable energy supplies in order to provide essential health services. Health can be a powerful motivator for climate action. Health and climate advocates, led by young people, must work together to prioritize urgent action to protect the health of people and planet. Delivering on the promise of health for all, including the health of our planet, depends on it.
