The WHO may classify the climate crisis as a pandemic
Leading international experts have called on the World Health Organization to officially recognize the climate crisis as a global health emergency. They believe that the effects of climate change are already claiming lives around the world just as severely as during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was reported by The Guardian.
This statement was issued by an independent pan-European commission on climate and health convened by the WHO. In their new report, experts concluded that the scale of the climate crisis already meets the criteria for an international public health emergency. This is the same status previously granted to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Mpox outbreak.
The report states that climate change is already directly affecting people’s health. The causes include heat waves, large-scale wildfires, floods, air pollution, and food security issues. Experts also highlight the spread of dangerous infectious diseases, particularly dengue and chikungunya.
Former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who chaired the commission, stated that the world has already reached a critical threshold. “The climate crisis may not be a pandemic, but it is a public health emergency that threatens the very survival of humanity,” she emphasized.
According to her, if countries do not begin to act more quickly and decisively, millions of people could face serious illnesses or die as a result of climate change.
The commission’s chief scientific advisor, Professor Andrew Haines of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stated that the WHO has long recognized climate change as a serious threat, but now is the time for tougher decisions. “If we continue to emit greenhouse gases at current rates, the health risks will only increase,” he said.
The report’s authors paid particular attention to support for the oil and gas industries. The commission called on governments to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels. According to experts’ estimates, in Europe alone, such policies may be linked to approximately 600,000 premature deaths each year.
The report notes that European countries spend about 444 billion euros annually to support the oil and gas industry. In some countries, these expenditures already exceed health care budgets. “This is not a sustainable energy policy. It is a failure in the health sector,” said Jakobsdóttir.
She also warned that new plans to expand oil and gas production due to instability in the Middle East could have serious consequences for people around the world. WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge endorsed the commission’s recommendations. He emphasized that the climate crisis has long ceased to be merely an environmental issue.
According to him, the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East have shown how dependence on fossil fuels affects not only the economy but also healthcare, food security, and societal stability. “The arguments for immediate climate action are about security, health, and the economy. And it is a moral obligation,” Kluge stated.
The World Health Organization reported the completion of the evacuation of passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which an outbreak of hantavirus was detected.
Hantavirus outbreak: experts assess the risks of a global pandemic.
We also reported: Among the crew members of the MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak was detected, are five Ukrainian citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that no signs of a deterioration in their health have been detected so far.
The disease on board the MV Hondius, owned by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, which has claimed the lives of three passengers, may have been introduced by Argentine rats or mice.
