WASHINGTON— The effect of climate change is so great that it could weaken the last 50 years of gains in global health.
Nicolas Watts led the Commission report, published in the British journal the Lancet. Watts said that weather extremes made worse by climate change are possibly terrible and unacceptable.
“In terms of drought, we often see corresponding (相应的)decreases in agricultural productivity, which then in turn has a great effect on malnutrition(营养不良), particularly for children,” he said. And with floods, he added, “We often see a rise in the rates of spreading diseases, which happen as a result of a breakdown in sanitation(公共卫生).”
The World Health Organization warns that unless dramatic action is taken to reduce global warming emissions by 2030, about 250,000 people will die each year from the effects of climate change.
But the Lancet Commission report finds growing evidence that actions to slow climate change are good for global health. Outdoor air pollution is linked to some three million deaths worldwide, 1.2 million in China alone. Watts says a shift from coal-fired power plants to renewable energy can greatly reduce that danger.
And a turn to a more active lifestyle that includes cycling and walking decreases emissions and lowers the rates of many diseases.
“It is about re-imagining and re-understanding climate change as a public health issue," he said. "Most of what you want to do to respond to climate change is good for public health, and it is actually a much brighter future.”
Watts hopes the Commission’s report helps unite health care professionals behind a global agreement that can better respond to the health risks of climate change.
“What is good for the planet,” he pointed out, “is good for patient care.”
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