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Public health at climate talks

‘We have a lot to gain in Copenhagen, or a lot to lose’

Posted in Environment and design on 18th December, 2009 | no responses

Delegations from 192 countries have been in Copenhagen this month for talks aimed at paving the way for a new global treaty on climate change. A side event was held on 17 December by the World Health Organization, bringing experts together to put public health at the heart of the process. Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum of the WHO’s Public Health and Environment department commented: ‘We’re reminding people that climate change is not just an environmental issue or an economic issue — it’s a health issue that’s actually about people’s survival.’

Dr Maria Neira, WHO’s director of Public Health and Environment, said: ‘Depending on what is decided on Friday afternoon our health will either be in a very good or very bad condition. We have a lot to gain in Copenhagen, or a lot to lose.’

Professor Andy Haines, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that computer models have shown that that encouraging walking and cycling in urban areas could reduce heart disease and stroke by 10 to 20 percent in London, and lead to substantial reductions in cities such as Delhi.

Professor Haines headed up a team who produced a series of articles published in The Lancet earlier in the year, key findings of which included:

  • Food: High-producing countries should reduce livestock production by 30%. If this translated into reduced meat consumption, the amount of saturated fat consumed would drop, which could reduce heart disease
  • Transport: Cutting emissions through walking and cycling and reducing use of motor vehicles would bring health benefits including reduced cardiovascular disease, depression and dementia
  • Household: In low-income countries, solid fuel stoves create indoor air pollution. National programmes to introduce low-emission stoves could avert millions of premature deaths and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Pollution: Short-lived pollutants including ozone and black carbon contribute to climate change and damage health. Reducing emissions of these would offer immediate benefits
  • Energy: Decreasing the proportion of carbon-based electricity generation would give health benefits worldwide.

Sources: BBC News Online, 25 November and 4 December 2009, and CNN Online 17 December 2009.

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