2023 has seen an unprecedented global intensification of the climate emergency due to a number of compounding disasters and the resulting exponential rise in their health-related effects. It is among the biggest risks to public health that exist today. The repercussions have resulted in growing disparities both within and across nations, as well as the loss of livelihoods and a rise in hunger, misery, and mortality. Fossil fuel subsidies have reached an all-time high while the world faces record-breaking floods, heat waves, crop failures, fires, water shortages, and more. We fervently recommend the adoption of the tactics suggested in the IPCC 2023 report.
The case for taking prompt action on climate change has never been stronger in terms of health. In order to keep global warming at 1.5°C, emissions must drastically decline by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Healthcare is not an exception to the rule that every company, in every industry, wherever, needs to contribute. We acknowledge that adaptation to safeguard those in immediate danger must take precedence in many nations, with mitigation measures protecting the environment coming in second. These days, prioritizing is regrettably necessary because many of the funds promised to support LMIC have not yet been paid for.
Global health would rank as the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world if it were a nation. As health leaders attending the World Health Summit, it is our duty to demand that climate action stop being done in the same old way and to resolutely advocate for fairness and health. We urge that our governments commit to zero emission targets for health systems and prioritize the adaptation of health systems.
