The Lancet has studied the situation in 91 countries

Climate change threatens to spread viruses across an unprepared world

Experts call for using the experience of the current pandemic to improve health systems.

AFP

Climate change has created ideal conditions for the transmission of infectious diseases, at a time when the world's health care systems are not ready for the shock that it will bring, according to a new study. The Lancet said that, after countries largely failed a stress test for the "Covid-19" virus, decades of progress in controlling ancient diseases has led to the decline of the virus. Like malaria, dengue fever, and cholera, they are under threat unless leaders commit to more ambitious climate plans. The medical journal's sixth annual report, called 'Track Down', tracks 44 indicators of health impacts that are directly linked to climate change, and highlights deepening social inequalities.

Drawing on research from 38 academic institutions and United Nations agencies, the study, conducted by the British Medical Journal, found that the potential for virus outbreaks to rise more rapidly in developed countries. The risk of malaria increases in colder regions, while coasts around northern Europe and the United States have become more susceptible to the bacteria that cause gastroenteritis and sepsis. Meanwhile, some 600 million people live less than five meters above sea level, putting them at increased risk of flooding and severe storms. According to the report, many may be forced to leave their homes permanently.

“These are grim warnings that every day we delay our response to climate change, the situation becomes more dire,” said Maria Romanello, director of research and lead author of the report. “It is time to realize that no one is immune from the effects of climate change.”

Less than half of the 91 countries tracked in the study have a national health and climate change plan, making their medical sectors vulnerable to shocks from climate change, the report said.

Of the 45 countries with a strategy, only eight allocated funds to address the issues raised in their assessments.

The coronavirus has killed nearly five million people worldwide and pushed economies to the brink.

As countries ease lockdowns in an effort to restart their economies, others are struggling to control the resurgence of infections, which has been exacerbated by the uneven distribution of vaccines between developed and low-income countries.

The study found similar inequalities in the global response to climate change, with developing countries least responsible for rising emissions lagging behind in efforts to decarbonise.

The report warns that these countries will be hit hard by global warming, as droughts threaten food and water security, an issue that affected two billion people in 2019.

The biggest obstacle to providing resources was insufficient funding, according to 69% of the countries surveyed.

But with countries pumping trillions of dollars to restart their economies in the midst of the pandemic, the report urged policymakers to "go beyond rhetoric and take action" at a United Nations conference in Glasgow that begins at the end of this month, attended by world leaders.

CEOs and climate activists will develop plans to cut carbon emissions.

The study also warned of an economic recovery driven by fossil fuels, which finance oil, gas and coal production but provide limited support for clean energy.

Instead, the report said, countries should create green jobs and protect health.

For his part, The Lancet Executive Director, Anthony Costello, said: “We are already seeing that climate change is harming human health around the world.” He continued, “Recovery from the current epidemic can be a green recovery, setting us on the path to improving human health and reducing Inequality, or it could be a recovery as usual that puts us all at risk.”

600 million people worldwide are at risk of flooding.

• The study found inequalities in the global response to climate change, and the underdevelopment of developing countries.

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