DUBAI, UAE — An urgent call to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of climate change on people’s health and wellbeing was made on the Health Day of COP28, held in the UAE.
Addressing this issue will require a global coalition and trillions of dollars to be successful, as climate change is responsible for the deaths of millions of people annually, according to Dr. Shyam Bishen, the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare.
The scale of the challenge is daunting, but Dr. Bishen emphasizes that immediate action is essential to prevent the human death toll from escalating further and to safeguard the future of our planet. “We are already late,” he told TRENDS in an interview.
“Inaction will cause many more deaths. We have no time and must act now. It’s great to see a Health Day at COP28. It’s taken a long time, but we finally have one. There has been over $1 billion in pledges so far for climate and health, which is really encouraging. It’s a great start, but we have a long way to go because the impact of climate change on human health is significant. We also see huge economic consequences for GDP,” he added.
At A Glance Urgent Call for Climate Action on Health: At COP28's Health Day, an urgent appeal was made to address the health consequences of climate change. Global Coalition Needed: Dr. Shyam Bishen of the World Economic Forum stated that trillions of dollars and a global coalition are essential for effective action. Immediate Action Essential: Dr. Bishen emphasized the need for immediate action to prevent further loss of life due to climate change. $1 Billion in Pledges at COP28: More than $1 billion has been pledged for climate and health, marking a positive start. Significant Funding Gap: Despite pledges, there is a shortfall from the $1 trillion needed for sustainable healthcare. Private Sector Involvement Crucial: Dr. Bishen stressed the critical role of the private sector in tackling climate-related health issues.
The $1 billion in pledges is indeed a good start, but it falls short of the estimated $1 trillion needed to implement a sustainable global healthcare system to tackle the devastating effects of climate change.
The WEF notes that COP28 has placed more emphasis on the link between climate change and human health than previous conferences, a development that Dr. Bishen finds encouraging. However, he believes the challenge now is to build on this momentum, acting upon the pledges and attention global healthcare has received.
“Now the time is to see how we can further the pledges to work on the climate and health side because we do realize that it’s going to take $1 trillion to fix the health system so that it can respond to climate change impact,” Dr. Bishen said. “We will take the pledges forward to the World Economic Forum in Davos in January and continue spreading the word.”
In a bid to raise the much-needed funding, the WEF works with financial sectors, the public sector, and philanthropic organizations.
A steady stream of pledges has been made during COP28, including those from WEF partners the Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome Trust, each committing $100 million to tackle climate and health issues in global healthcare.
We are already late. Inaction will cause many more deaths. We have no time and must act now.
Dr. Shyam Bishen, the World Economic Forum’s Head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare
Dr. Bishen said the WEF has been busy working on an initiative since the World Economic Forum annual meeting in January, in conjunction with stakeholders to calculate the overall financial impact of healthcare caused by climate change, which “looks like it’s close to $12.5 trillion between now and 2050,” he said.
The head of WEF’s Centre for Health and Healthcare says the WEF and its partners, which also includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are working to tackle diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS, all of which are being negatively impacted by climate change.
“As we get more global warming, we get more mosquitoes in places where we haven’t seen them before, and they bring with them dangerous diseases. We [WEF] have a lot of momentum right now, but we have to ensure the pledges are realized and actioned. We need to use the money to help those who need it most. For the WEF, through our climate and health initiative, which is a multi-stakeholder public-private partnership, will be focusing in that area.”
Dr. Bishen stressed the importance of the private sector’s involvement in helping health initiatives succeed. “Private sector engagement is critical; we saw that during COVID-19. We wouldn’t have a vaccine if it wasn’t for the private sector,” he affirmed.
“We must mobilize the private sector, and that’s the platform and one segment where we are very strong from the WEF side. The private sector must work on both sides – it has to contribute to the funding and investment as well as prepare itself for this change.
“I am working with health sector companies to ensure they are prepared, and they are playing their part in reaching Net Zero operations, in their product development, supply chain, manufacturing, etc.
“They have to keep sustainability in mind to reach Net Zero, so we are working with them on that to look at ways they can use less energy and more efficient technologies and digital technology to get to a more sustainable health system. The other area for the private sector to focus on is to prepare themselves for what’s coming. Looking at the growth in disease areas from respiratory, cardiovascular, and cancer, they’re all increasing because of climate change.”
Dr. Bishen’s rallying cry comes after he shared staggering health statistics that highlight the imminent dangers we face. For instance, one in three people in Delhi, India, are predicted to have lung cancer in the next ten years if things continue as they are. Air pollution is currently the biggest environmental killer, claiming the lives of around nine million people annually.
India, China, and Brazil are among the most polluted countries in the world – despite India’s greenhouse gas emissions rate dropping by 33 percent in 14 years, as per officials privy to the Third National Communication (TNC) report earlier this year – and face the most significant threat from climate change. Asthma and lung cancer are on the rise globally, and even the number of strokes and cardiovascular diseases is increasing due to environmental issues.
“It’s a huge number of people dying due to climate change. The total number of COVID-19 deaths were between five to six million according to the World Health Organization (WHO), yet almost twice as many are dying every year from air pollution,” Dr. Bishen noted.
Other deadly environmental issues include extreme weather events caused by climate changes, such as droughts, floods, tropical storms, heatwaves, and rising sea levels. These events not only claim lives but also cause lasting impacts on the mental and physical health of survivors. One estimate predicts that by 2050, around 14 million people will die due to extreme weather, with a negative economic impact of around $12.5 trillion – and the only way to mitigate this is through collective action.
“There is a realization that we need to do something about this,” Dr. Bishen said. “We need a global coalition involving public-private sectors, philanthropies, NGOs, etc. It’s the developing countries that are suffering the most and have contributed the least to climate change in some cases. Africa, for instance, is responsible for only 2-3 percent of global emissions compared to much higher contributions from countries like the USA. So, we need to support those facing the brunt of it, and that can only be achieved through a global coalition.”
The WEF, he said, will utilize data to guide its next steps during exclusive sessions on health and climate change at the upcoming World Economic Forum event in Davos, scheduled for January. The event, which will see attendance from heads of state, health ministers, and CEOs of major companies, will focus on discussing the WEF’s landscape analysis of data to mitigate, adapt, and prepare for future challenges, Dr. Bishen added.