In early December, I was one of the nearly 100,000 delegates at COP28, the biggest climate conference ever held. As a senior health professional and campaigner for gender equity in health, I was pleased to see the adoption of the first ever COP health declaration. Who among us can still deny that climate change is a […] Continue reading ->
Incidence of dengue virus has soared in 2023 to near historically high levels, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday, with more than 5 million cases worldwide and 5,000 deaths from the virus that still lacks an effective treatment or vaccine. Moreover, formerly dengue-free countries in southern Europe, such as France, Italy and Spain […] Continue reading ->
In the wake of COP28, WHO will press ahead with calls for fossil fuel phase out, stepped up commitments for health sector decarbonization, and a new resolution on Climate and Health, set to go before the World Health Assembly in May 2024. Those were key takeaways from an end-year WHO global press briefing by WHO […] Continue reading ->
The outsized effect of climate change on young children represents an “intergenerational injustice”, according to experts speaking at a side event on maternal and child health at COP28 in Dubai. “Nearly 90% of the global burden of disease associated with climate change is borne by children under the age of five,” according to UNICEF. “Climate change […] Continue reading ->
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Black carbon is a super pollutant and its emissions are commonly seen anywhere you see black smoke – from a tiny kerosene lamp to a massive ship. The main sources include the burning of biomass, garbage dumps, diesel vehicles, coal-fired power plants, brick kilns, wood fires, wildfires and, on the […] Continue reading ->
Air pollution and climate change have never received as much combined attention, at such a high level, as at COP28 in Dubai. The UN’s 28th Conference of Parties on climate change has seen top-level participants from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UAE presidency, and noted expert bodies discuss the estimated 7-8 million deaths annually […] Continue reading ->
Improving access to clean cooking will not only help the world get closer to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but it will not be possible to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without doing so, said experts speaking on the sidelines of COP28. “We don’t want people to be breathing polluted air as a […] Continue reading ->
Two mothers battled air pollution in Delhi and its suburbs well before it became a thing. Motivated by how their children have suffered, Ruchika Sethi Takkar and Bhavreen Kandhari speak with Health Policy Watch about why they don’t give up and what other parents can learn from their work. DELHI, India – On a gently […] Continue reading ->
Drought data shows “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale”, according to a report released as the world leaders meet in Dubai at the annual climate summit, COP28, to discuss response to climate change. The report warns that the “massive” impacts of human-induced droughts are only beginning to unfold, with data showing that droughts are […] Continue reading ->
DUBAI, UAE – The inaugural Health Day at COP28 on Sunday saw a strong push by some global leaders, led by US Climate Envoy John Kerry, for a swift transition away from the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. While some ministers of health among the 50 countries gathered for the day also echoed Kerry’s call […] Continue reading ->