“Climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century”

Experts say there is an urgent need to adapt to heat waves, floods and other extreme phenomena

With the heat waves of recent years and increasingly intense climate change, thinking about how to adapt to the new reality and prevent chronic diseases, mental health problems and epidemics, among other consequences of the climate crisis for human health, has become imperative, according to experts participating in the Health and Wellness Summit From Estadao.

Evangelina Araújo, pathologist and creator of the Doctors for the Climate Movement, presented worrying data during the event, held on Tuesday 21st in Sao Paulo. “In 2023, air pollution rose to the number one risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases, with 8.1 million deaths worldwide,” it reported.

Furthermore, pollution has also been associated with 30% of cardiovascular disease deaths and 27% of cardiovascular disease cases cerebrovascular accident (CVA). “The climate crisis is a health crisis and climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century,” the doctor warned.

Despite observable effects, such as dehydration in children and fatigue in the elderly, climate change is still not listed as a cause of death on death certificates. To date there has been only one case, in England: “A 9-year-old boy died of asthma caused by air pollution and, for the first time, this has been included in the document and action has been taken in the state to make changes,” Evangelina said.

Recent works, such as relationship Hand counting downfrom the scientific journal The Lancetpoint out that, in Brazil, Heat stress is expected to affect children and the elderly the most and, due to changes in rainfall patterns, the country will face a higher prevalence of infectious diseases and greater risks of food insecurity.

“Brazil is the fourth largest emitter per capita of greenhouse gases and one of the countries that will suffer the most from its consequences because it is located in the tropics”, said Evangelina.

In addition to physical health, climate change also impacts mental health. “Seasonal depression is known in psychiatry. Our psyche depends on the environment we live in,” commented Micheline Coêlho, meteorologist, doctor and researcher at Monash University, Australia. Survivors of floods and other disasters, for example, may find their psychological well-being compromised.

For Micheline it is necessary to look at the problem from the point of view of adaptation. “We talked about it climate changebut nothing is done about it. There is nothing left to do, the climate has already changed,” he lamented. “We have to adapt with what we already have. Many buildings are not suited to withstand extreme weather conditions. They are mirror images and were built when the climate was warmer,” he explained.

Reduction of emissions

According to Evangelina, if the healthcare sector were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.

Olavo Corrêa, president of AstraZeneca in Brazil, underlined that one of the challenges is precisely to reduce these emissions in the healthcare market and that, in a year of POLICE OFFICER in the country, we could lead the debate in the area.

“The healthcare market represents 5% of the supply chain. Half of that is tied to the supply chain and the other half is tied to the patient journey, like how they’re transported, how they’re hospitalized; we know there’s an inefficiency,” he said.

“It’s not just climate that impacts health, but health impacts climate,” Corrêa said.

For him it is necessary to invest in the prevention of health problems to avoid patient mobility and hospitalizations. Corrêa cited cases of chronic kidney disease as an example: “Making a diagnosis and intervening promptly prevents hemodialysis. Half of the patients could not be present.”

“There is a lot to do, including investing telemedicinewhich avoids displacement”, added Evangelina.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.