The new study was published in a report in the mid-November issue of the medical journal Lancet and involved more than 100 scientists from around the world.
Titled “Countdown on Climate and Health”, the study essentially evaluates the impact of heat on human survival.
According to the report, 1,337 tons of carbon dioxide are still produced every second and the world is not reducing emissions fast enough “to keep climate hazards at levels that health systems can manage.”
Despite involving global meteorological and health organizations, the report concluded there was not enough information to show definitively whether worsening weather hazards were causing the increase in hospitalizations.
A man wets his head with a fountain near the Pantheon, as a heatwave hits Italy, in Rome, July 19, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)
However, lead author Dr Marina Romanello from University College London said increased deaths caused by poor nutrition, increases in parasitic infections and respiratory diseases were directly linked to a warming climate.
“Heat-related deaths in adults over 65, a particularly vulnerable age group, have increased by 85% since the nineties,” Romanello said.
“And we now know that more than half of that increase would not have happened if temperatures had not risen so we know that climate change is causing all of this to happen now. We also see food insecurity on the rise. Malnutrition has a permanent impact especially on children ,” he continued.
The climate conference (COP), which will take place at the end of November, will dedicate a day to discussing efforts to address the impact of climate change on health.
Spain is one of the countries in Southern Europe most affected by this year’s heat wave.
Spanish researchers say it’s time to develop a practical solution.
They say increasing damage from extreme weather threatens water security and food production.
According to Jaime Martínez-Urtaza, professor at the Department of Genetics and Microbiology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, there are serious concerns that this will lead to more and more infections.
“Warming is related to low salinity because frequent extreme rainfall causes rainwater to flow into the sea and salinity decreases. These conditions favor human pathogenic bacteria of the genus Vibrio. “Vibrio-cholera, for example, causes cholera, while Vibrio-parahaemolyticus causes gastroenteritis,” he explained.
A construction worker is seen drinking in the hot weather hitting Spain, Barcelona, July 18, 2023. (Photo: AFP)
The Lancet report notes that this threat is particularly high in Europe, where coastal waters suitable for Vibrio have increased by 142 km annually.
The Lancet study says the world is currently on track for a temperature increase of 2.7°C by 2100, putting the lives of current and future generations at risk.
The Lancet report also shows that a shift to a healthier, lower-carbon diet could prevent up to 12 million deaths from poor diets each year, while reducing 57% of agricultural emissions from milk and red meat production. (ab/ka)