WHO - Uniting for Health and Climate Action - Add Your Voice !
WHO - Call for climate action
The year 2023 has been marked by a surge in climate catastrophes. Wildfires, heatwaves and droughts are displacing people, killing crops and livestock, and worsening air pollution. A boiling world is increasing the likelihood and spread of killer diseases like cholera, malaria and dengue.
As stated by Dr Tedros: "Addiction to fossil fuels is not just an act of environmental vandalism. From the health perspective, it is an act of self-sabotage."
A COP28 Climate and Health Declaration will be delivered by health ministers and governments gathered in Dubai in December 2023.
WHO urges health professionals, groups and individuals to unite in a call for world leaders to meet the commitments they have already made, and to raise their ambition for a healthier, fairer and greener future:
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deliver on the Paris Agreement and accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels to safeguard a liveable future for humanity and save a million lives a year from air pollution;
- build climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems as “no regrets” protection for current and future lives; and
- deliver on promises of US$ 100 billion a year in climate finance, and spend this on saving lives and improving the health of the most vulnerable.
Meeting these goals will require action from heads of government, ministers of health, political and business leaders across energy, food, transport and urban sectors, and from communities and individuals.
Health workers are dedicated, professional and highly trusted in their communities. They have a unique voice to speak on behalf of the people they care for and unite behind this call for action to tackle both the climate crisis and the health crisis it is driving.