Climate change and health: Will it just be all talk?

The recent WHA passed a landmark resolution stating the urgent need for decisive action by countries around the world to address the critical risks to human health due to climate change. — AFP

The world is indisputably suffering from the effects of climate change.

Devastating storms and floods, record temperatures of 50°C, droughts, food insecurity, and even air turbulence, are among the changes triggered by climate change.

This has resulted in more disabilities and deaths from vector- borne diseases, non-communicable diseases, health emergencies and mental health impacts.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) 77th World Health Assembly (WHA), which concluded on June 1 (2024), in recognising that global health is imminently threatened by climate change, passed a landmark resolution stating the urgent need for decisive action to address the critical health risks due to climate change.

The last time the WHA passed a resolution on climate change was in 2008, when it focused on the health sector’s role in climate change.

The WHA was concerned about the latest assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

According to the panel, “Continued emissions will further affect all major climate system components, and many changes will be irreversible on centennial to millennial time scales and become larger with increasing global warming.

“Without urgent, effective and equitable mitigation and adaptation actions, climate change increasingly threatens ecosystems, biodiversity and the livelihoods, health and well-being of current and future generations.”

They added that “any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all”.

Call to action

The WHA called on all member states to commit:

“(a) to strengthen the implementation of WHO’s global strategy on health, environment and climate change, adopting a health-in-all policies approach, without diverting resources meant for primary healthcare, and consider engaging constructively in the forthcoming global plan of action;

“(b) to conduct periodic climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments toward the development of a health national adaptation plan or other adaptation-planning strategies, as appropriate and according to the national context;

“(c) to cooperate in the development and implementation of national action plans, in accordance with national context and priorities, geared toward decarbonisation and ensuring environmentally-sustainable health systems, facilities and supply chains, including with regard to issues of consumption, procurement, transport, and disposal of resources such as water, energy, food and waste, as well as medical supplies, equipment, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, with a view to lower greenhouse gas emissions, only when doing so does not compromise healthcare provision and quality, in line with relevant WHO guidance;

“(d) to integrate climate data into existing monitoring, early warning, surveillance and data collection systems, including data disaggregated by sex, age, disability and any other relevant factor, where appropriate, to enable evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions that respond to the impacts of climate change, including loss and damage, on health and health systems, as well as health sector impacts on the environment.”

The resolution called for:

• “Exchange of knowledge and best practices, and collaboration on building sustainable health systems resilient to the adverse effects of climate change;
• “Mobilisation of high-level attention to ensure political will, and exploration of the integration of health into climate actions towards adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage;
• “Promotion of multisectoral national action towards building resilience and addressing the root causes of climate change and climate-sensitive environmental and social determinants of health;
• “Resources mobilisation, particularly funding, from all sources for integrated action on climate and health;
• “Investment in climate adaptation measures that proactively address climate-related health impacts, including early warning systems for climate-related disease outbreaks and enhancing emergency preparedness and response; and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response;
• “Promotion of awareness and engagement among the public and health sector on the interdependence between climate change and health, and the development of climate and health policies, fostering recognition of health co-benefits and sustainable behaviour;
• “Collaboration between policymakers, researchers and developers to accelerate the translation of evidence to policy and innovation in the field of climate and health;
• “Promotion of research and development to detect, prevent, test for, treat and respond to climate-sensitive diseases and health outcomes, and to support affected communities in their adaptation to the impacts of climate change, by creating an enabling environment to facilitate equitable access to health tools by those hit hardest by climate-sensitive diseases and health impacts of climate change.”

Core issues missing

The WHA resolution did not however, mention fossil fuels, or even clean energy.

This was surprising, especially when fossil fuels contribute about three-quarters of global greenhouse emissions and almost 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions, which are the global drivers of climate change.

There was also no mention about plastics, most of which are products from fossil fuel extraction.

Plastics production has increased fourfold in the past three decades and it has been reported that the fossil fuel industry has plans to increase plastics production to account for 20% of global oil and gas consumption by 2050.

The United Nations (UN) member states are currently engaged in tough negotiations over a treaty to curb plastic wastes.

There was opposition at the WHA to the WHO’s involvement in these negotiations, despite the healthcare sector being a significant consumer of single-use plastics.

Actions needed

Notwithstanding the missing core issues, the WHA Resolution has a sound scientific rationale.

The implementation of these recommendations by WHO’s member states would go a long way towards addressing climate change, which is an existential threat to life on Mother Earth.

The question is, how much of those words will be translated to action.

On our own national level: What is the response of the Health Ministry and the Madani government?

Did the Malaysian delegation to the WHA agree with the Resolution, record any reservations, or objected to any part of the Resolution?

A response would help Malaysians better understand the government’s efforts to address climate change and health.

Dr Milton Lum is a past president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations and the Malaysian Medical Association. For more information, email [e-mail]. The views expressed do not represent that of organisations the writer is associated with. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only; it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.