PLANETARY HEALTH 5.6
The effects of climate change on health and well-being can be direct or indirect – but all are devastating, and we have in our hands the power to do more, and do better A new narrative of hope By Omnia El Omrani, climate change and health junior policy fellow, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London A s a young medical doctor, I witnessed the impacts of climate change on the health of my community. I vividly remember a two-year old girl
and mitigation actions are central to protecting health and well-being. For affected communities to adapt and respond to climate threats, integration of and investment in psychological resilience must be prioritised. URGENT ACTION REQUIRED The science behind the planetary health crisis makes it clear that urgent, integrated and transformative action is needed across all sectors and disciplines. The health sector is fundamental to adopting an integrated approach, as the first and last line of defence in the face of unprecedented climate impacts, to provide the healthcare services equitably required under all circumstances. But progress is hindered by several pressing challenges. First, decisions about climate change and health are made in silos. Policymaking and funding are commonly considered independently, ignoring the hidden costs of climate inaction on health and the co-benefits of climate action for health. Second, the experiences of the most affected groups, including youth and women, are persistently sidelined despite their being on the frontline of climate-driven impacts and the widespread calls for environmental justice. Youth, in particular, have leveraged their activism to hold governments and
inequalities in access to healthcare services,
education and decent job opportunities – especially for women and girls, who make up more than 80% of the climate migrant population. Women continue to face increasing gender-based violence and discrimination aggravated by higher temperatures and scarcity of resources. Climate change is also affecting the mental health of communities. Farmers are dying by suicide, communities are experiencing ongoing distress and post-traumatic stress disorder, and people living with mental health conditions are three times more likely to die during a heatwave. Young people feel distress and despair at the unpredictable climate disasters affecting the future they face. These feelings are heightened by the disconnect between the necessary climate action many young people want and what is being done by their governments and public institutions. However, action for a safer climate fosters the conditions for a world that supports better health – creating resilient societies with cleaner air, safer energy and infrastructure, access to green spaces, and connected communities. Climate adaptation
with asthma and persistent wheezing due to exposure to high levels of air pollution. It had detrimental effects on her growing body and brain, and it prevented her from undergoing the surgery she needed. We had to wait until her overall condition improved. This is just one anecdote about the rising impacts of climate change on health and well-being. The effects can be direct through deaths and injuries from extreme weather events such as wildfires, flooding and heatwaves, or indirect through air pollution leading to heart and lung diseases, as 9 of 10 people, like this child, breathe in polluted air globally. Climate change also leads to sudden losses in food production and access to food, aggravating hunger and poverty in the most vulnerable countries. Climate-driven flooding overwhelms sanitation systems; droughts prevent access to water, where one in five children around the world currently lack access to safe drinking water. Climate change is worsening
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Health: A Political Choice – From Fragmentation to Integration
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