Dubai, UAE (AP) —
Amidst the thick fog that enveloped the city of Dubai, UAE, the COP28 Summit spent the last two days with discussions and calls for the unity of world leaders to overcome health problems such as the death of at least seven million people worldwide due to air pollution. Discussions also included concerns about the spread of diseases such as cholera and malaria due to global warming damaging weather systems.
Yseult Gilbert is a doctor from Canada who demonstrated outside the summit arena.
“Not many people know that the climate crisis is a health crisis. The climate crisis has an impact on air pollution. Of course, that’s probably what people have in mind. So, our lungs are putting stress on our cardiovascular system, our cholesterol vessels and our hearts, but the climate crisis is also resulting in increased infectious disease, greater antimicrobial resistance.”
Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said now was the right time for the UN climate summit to hold the first health day of its 28th edition, and said the threat to health from climate change was “imminent. ”
“Even though the climate crisis is a health crisis, it will be too late if the 27th COP ends without a series of discussions on health. “Undoubtedly, health is the most powerful reason to take action on climate change,” said Tedros.
After two days of speeches by dozens of presidents, prime ministers, royals and other prominent leaders – both on the podium and off – participants also turned attention to the difficult negotiations over the next nine days to push for more agreements on various issues. a way to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times.
Saturday closed with COP28 leadership announcing that 50 oil and gas companies had agreed to achieve near-zero methane emissions and end routine flaring in oil or gas drilling operations by 2030.
The companies also pledged to achieve “zero emissions” in their operations by 2050.
Rising temperatures caused by burning oil, gas and coal have exacerbated natural disasters such as floods, heat waves and droughts, and caused many people to migrate to temperate climates – in addition to their negative impact on human health.
The COP28 declaration supported by around 120 countries emphasizes the link between health and climate change.
The WHO did not mention phasing out fossil fuels that can cause global warming, but pledged to support efforts to reduce pollution in the health care sector, which accounts for 5% of global emissions, according to the WHO chief.
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, head of climate and health at WHO, said the heat had put stress on the body and led to higher levels of infectious diseases.
“We lose around seven million lives every year due to air pollution. “So, what we really want to do is a clean energy future because this will provide the energy that people around the world need for many other things, including maintaining health,” he said.
Dubai, the largest city in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, often faces higher levels of air pollution than anywhere else in the world due to its location – and smog is common in the city.
The Dubai government, on its environmental website, listed most of the city’s Air Quality Index (IQAir) levels at “good” on Sunday.
Switzerland-based IQAir, a technology company that sells air quality monitoring products, listed Dubai as the city with the 18th worst air quality in the world with a “moderate” air quality level as of Sunday afternoon local time.
The report cited high levels of two types of particulate matter in the air, and recommended the use of masks for “sensitive groups” and a reduction in outdoor exercise. (lt/hour)