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In a statement, Hans Kluge, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Europe, called the current response to climate change “dangerously inconsistent and far too slow.”
“Climate change and the crises it has caused have long been recognized as clear health emergencies.” “WHO and (its) partners have long sounded the alarm,” Kluge said, urging delegates at the current United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt to act more quickly and coherently.
Kluge called for drastic adaptation and mitigation measures to address climate change and improve individual, societal, and planetary health to avoid increasing exposure and vulnerability to heatwaves and other extreme weather events, according to Xinhua news agency.
Kluge claims that the devastating wildfires that ravaged Europe last summer resulted in the highest carbon emissions since 2007, “polluting our air and killing many people.”
He warned that extreme temperatures caused heat stress, which had become Europe’s leading cause of death due to weather-related causes.
According to Kluge, the WHO estimates 15,000 heat-related deaths in 2022 based on country data.
According to him, high-impact weather and climate events such as floods and storms directly affected over 500,000 people last year.
Kluge cited a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report that stated Europe was the fastest-warming region in the world, with extreme temperatures accounting for over 148,000 deaths in the last 50 years.
Kluge claims that his organization will “use the collective power of WHO member states to integrate health into any climate change plan.”
“We need to do it now if we are to prevent the climate crisis from turning into an irreversible climate disaster for our region and our entire planet,” he said.
Source:OCN
