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The sun rises on Seoul, the Korean capital plagued by pollution clouds, in March 2017. Getty Images / SeongJoon-cho
As COP24 begins Sunday (December 2nd) in Poland, the British medical journal The Lancet publishes its "Countdown" report on the health and economic impacts of global warming, described as " the greatest threat of the 21st century ". The result of the collaboration of 27 academic institutions, intergovernmental agencies and UN, the study warns against our vulnerability to rising temperatures.
According to the findings of a large study published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet , 157 million more people were exposed to extreme heat in 2017 compared to the year 2000. It is hotter and hotter. more and more polluted.
Nine out of 10 city dwellers breathe toxic air. The concentration of pollutants has even worsened in 70% of cities between 2010 and 2016. Added to this is the tenfold increase in insect populations. The transmission potential of dengue fever has recently reached its highest level. As a result, our poorly prepared health systems are at risk of suffocation.
The impact of global warming is sanitary but also economic. In 2017, extreme weather events cost us $ 326 billion, almost triple the amount of 2016. Another worrying development is the decline in agricultural yields seen in 30 countries around the world.
Despite this gloomy picture, there are hopeful signs: coal consumption is slowing down. Last year, the installation of renewable energies even exceeded that of fossil fuels.
According to the UN, which has just published a report on the climate, efforts should be tripled to meet the commitments of the Paris agreement, namely not to exceed 2 ° C of warming by the end of the century.
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