Climate change is the defining health challenge of our time. Studies predict that by 2050, climate change will cause an additional 14.5 million deaths – roughly one person every minute.
This is not a predicted threat we will face in the future; its impacts are being felt now and cannot be ignored. This year, heatwaves caused by the climate crisis killed more than 1,300 people during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Severe drought in South Africa has pushed millions to the brink of hunger. Air pollution, exacerbated by fossil fuels, puts 99% of the world’s population at risk.
It’s clear that climate change is threatening the lives and affecting the health of millions of people around the world, and a new survey shows it’s the top concern for 91% of global citizens.
As leaders of the global health community, we know that the progression of this crisis is rapidly outpacing adaptation efforts. Nearly half of the world’s population lives in areas that are already highly vulnerable to climate change. We need to act immediately to help them become more resilient, or face dire consequences. If action continues to delay, collapsed health systems, widespread food and water shortages, and mass displacement will become our new reality.
There is simply not enough funding invested in helping communities and local health systems adapt to the health threats posed by climate change. There is currently a staggering funding gap of $366 billion when it comes to annual funding for climate adaptation, with less than 5% of climate adaptation funding allocated to projects that protect or improve health. To make matters worse, the funding that is available is too difficult and complex for countries and local communities to access.
At COP28, health was on the agenda for the first time and the first-ever thematic health day was held. Now we need urgent mobilization to turn words into action. Every dollar invested in health generates up to $4 in economic benefits. Health is at the heart of thriving communities.
Join us in our mission to protect those most at risk. We need to fast-track flexible funding for climate-vulnerable communities to build their resilience—and the resilience of their health systems—to the life-threatening impacts of climate change. Local communities, with the know-how of what works on the ground, must be at the heart of implementing these projects. And we must support them through rapid evaluations of adaptation efforts so they can rapidly learn and understand what works. We must build new and complementary mechanisms to channel funding directly to these critical adaptation efforts.
Missing this rapidly closing window of opportunity risks wasting decades of investment and progress. By COP29, we must agree a new, collective goal on climate finance that supports health. We also need to reassess our strategic approach to financing adaptation by measuring its health impacts. We need to ensure that children born today have the chance to live long, healthy lives. We cannot stand by and watch as the climate crisis continues to threaten lives, disrupt livelihoods and devastate our only planet.
It’s time to act. It’s time to adapt.
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