Warmer planet can cause death of millions more due to health risks

A warmer climate has wide-ranging and complex impacts on the environment, ecosystems, human societies, and economies.
A recent report said it could lead to more than 20mn additional deaths by 2050 from just five health risks: extreme heat, stunting, diarrhoea, malaria, and dengue.
Preventing these deaths requires immediate action to reinforce health systems, particularly in climate-vulnerable countries, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, according to the World Bank.
In its report, the World Bank also estimates that (by 2030) the impacts of climate change on health will force 44mn more people into extreme poverty.
“Climate change amplifies health risks, creating a cycle of ill health and poverty with far-reaching consequences for human capital development,” said Mamta Murthi, vice-president for Human Development at the World Bank.
“Through the Climate and Health Programme, the World Bank will use its knowledge and financing to help countries address health risks stemming from climate change, work across related sectors, and bring together partners to maximise financing and harmonize investments and actions.”
The Climate and Health Programme includes generating evidence on the most cost-effective interventions to tackle the climate and health crisis; increasing financing for solutions that can build sustainable and resilient health systems in client countries; and build strong partnerships to amplify impact.
Specifically, the programme will create evidence and knowledge to identify country needs and inform investments. This includes systematically assessing climate-related health vulnerabilities in developing countries, focusing on the impacts on lives, livelihoods, and economies and identifying country-specific ‘best buys’ for climate and health.
It will invest in solutions that are country-tailored and evidence-based and scale-up investments for low-carbon resilient health systems through the bank’s $34bn health portfolio which is already active in over 100 countries.
Investments will focus on better surveillance and early warning systems, improving health service delivery in the face of climate-driven disease patterns, climate-proofing health facilities, and strengthening health worker capacity.
The programme will work in partnership with the World Health Organisation, Gavi, The Global Fund, foundations, and others to maximise impact by supporting global, regional, and country efforts to scale up climate-health action.
As part of this programme, the World Bank is co-convening a Development Bank Working Group for Climate-Health Finance with participation from multilateral and public development banks to align and maximise climate and health investments.
Increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves lead to health risks, especially for vulnerable populations. The impact of the climate crisis on the health of current and future generations depends on the decisions the world makes today.
Addressing the impacts of a warmer climate obviously requires global cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to changes that are already underway, and develop sustainable practices.
Efforts to mitigate climate change and transition to a low-carbon economy are crucial to minimising the severity of these impacts in future.