Report State of Climate Services for Health WMO - WHO 02 November 2023
/
3:00
/
MP4
/
348.9 MB

Edited News , Press Conferences | WHO , WMO

WMO/WHO Press Conference - 02 November 2023

Climate crisis ‘a health crisis’ increasingly deadly for the most vulnerable: WMO, WHO

Amid more frequent extreme weather events and temperature records, human health – particularly in the most vulnerable communities - is increasingly threatened, according to a new multi-agency report coordinated by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

“The impacts of climate change on health are wide-ranging, affecting the determinants of health from social behaviors to water safety to air quality and food security," said Dr. Joy Shumake-Guillemot from the joint WMO-WHO Office on Climate and Health at the report launch in Geneva on Thursday. She stressed that low and middle-income countries in particular are being "impacted heavily".

The report, which includes input from more than 30 collaborating partners, shows that scientific know-how and resources can make a real difference in people’s daily lives, but are not sufficiently accessible or utilised. The number of medium or large-scale disaster events is projected to reach 560 a year – or 1.5 each day – by 2030. In countries with limited early warning coverage, disaster mortality is eight times higher than in those with substantial to comprehensive coverage.

“The impacts of extreme heat are quite severe, with up to half a million people being impacted with excess mortality related to extreme heat around the world," said Dr. Shumake-Guillemot.

Between 2000 and 2019, estimated deaths due to heat were approximately 489,000 per year, with a particularly high burden in Asia (45 per cent) and Europe (36 per cent).

Climate change is also exacerbating risks of food insecurity. “In the Horn of Africa during the past three years, we had [a] very severe food insecurity situation, which was related to both the heat and drought,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “Quite often in these episodes when we have heatwaves, we have also fairly poor air quality. For example, in 2003, when we got the 75,000 casualties in in Europe, at the same time, the surface ozone concentrations were very, very high."

According to the report, heatwaves also aggravate air pollution, which is already responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths every year.

“The real solution will be to stop the cause of the problem, which is the combustion of fossil fuels and this is for the health community, this is extremely important because the combustion of those fossil fuels [is] not only contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, but as well to air pollution,” said Dr. Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO). She added that “we are creating conditions for more non-communicable diseases, lung cancer, chronic respiratory infections because of the bad quality of the air we breathe."

According to Dr. Neira, there are not only “immediate consequences because of the disaster, but as well massive displacement. They will maybe be responsible for destruction of the land and agricultural production and therefore we will see malnutrition and massive mental health issues as well."

The transmission of many climatically sensitive infectious vector-, food-, and water-borne diseases is also on the rise. Dengue is the world’s fastest-spreading vector-borne disease, whilst the length of the malaria transmission season has increased in parts of the world.

“If you have all of these extreme weather events, you have global warming, you will have more difficulties to access water services and that will be responsible as well for a massive increase [in] waterborne diseases," Dr. Neira said. "We have seen an increase in cholera outbreaks around the world, by the way."

-ends-

STORY: Report State of Climate Services for Health: WMO - WHO”

TRT: 3:00”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 2 November 2023 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior wide shot: UN building with UN flag, UN Geneva.
  2. Wide shot, press room with speakers at podium, UN Geneva.
  3. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr. Joy Shumake-Guillemot, joint WMO-WHO Office on Climate and Health: “The impacts of climate change on health are wide ranging, affecting the determinants of health from social behaviors to water safety to air quality and food security. And we see that it is the most vulnerable countries that are impacted the most by climate change and particularly low- and middle-income countries are being impacted heavily by climate change."
  4. Cutaway: close up, journalist taking notes, UN Geneva.
  5. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr. Joy Shumake-Guillemot, joint WMO-WHO Office on Climate and Health: “The impacts of extreme heat are quite severe, with up to half a million people being impacted with excess mortality related to extreme heat around the world."
  6. Cutaway: Wide shot, press room with journalists and speaker on the screen, UN Geneva.
  7. SOUNDBTE (ENGLISH) - Prof. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “In the Horn of Africa during the past three years, we had [a] very severe food insecurity situation, which was related to both the heat and drought. And then quite often in these episodes when we have heatwaves, we have also fairly poor air quality. For example, in 2003, when we got the 75,000 casualties in Europe, at the same time, the surface ozone concentrations were very, very high."
  8. Cutaway: Wide shot: press briefing room with journalists and speakers at the podium, UN Geneva.
  9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr. Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (WHO): “The real solution will be to stop the problem. So the cause of the problem, which is the combustion of fossil fuels and this is for the health community, this is extremely important because the combustion of those fossil fuels [is] not only contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, but as well to air pollution.”
  10. Cutaway: Wide shot, press room with journalists and speakers at the podium
  11. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr. Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (WHO): “We are creating conditions for more non-communicable diseases, lung cancer, chronic respiratory infections because of the bad quality of the air we breathe."
  12. Cutaway: medium shot press room with journalists and speaker at podium
  13. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)Dr. Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (WHO): “Immediate consequences because of the disaster, but as well, because they there will be massive displacement. They will maybe be responsible for destruction of the land and that with agricultural production and therefore we will see malnutrition and massive mental health issues as well that we are seeing. »
  14. Cutaway: medium shot, speakers at podium
  15. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (WHO): “If you have all of these extreme weather events, you have a global warming, you will have more difficult to access water services and that will be responsible as well for a massive increase [in] waterborne diseases. We have seen an increase in cholera outbreaks around the world, by the way."
  16. Cutaway: wide shot, speakers at podium, UN Geneva.
  17. Cutaway: Wide shot, speakers at podium with journalists in press room and speaker on screen, UN Geneva.
  18. Cutaway: wide shot press room with journalists and screens with speaker, UN Geneva.

Similar Stories

Eastern DRC update - UNDP 13 June 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNDP

Eastern DRC update - UNDP 13 June 2025 ENG FRA

As diplomatic efforts continue to end fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN development agency (UNDP) issued an appeal on Friday on behalf of people uprooted by the violence to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 13 June 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | ILO , OCHA , UNCTAD , UNODA , OCHA , UNDP , WHO

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 13 June 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Labour Organization.

HRC - Press Conference: President of the Human Rights Council ahead of 59th session - 11 June 2025

1

1

Press Conferences | HRC

HRC - Press Conference: President of the Human Rights Council ahead of 59th session - 11 June 2025 ENG FRA

59th regular session of the Human Rights Council (16 June to 9 July 2025)

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 10 June 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | ILO , WFP , UNICEF , ITU , UNHCR

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 10 June 2025 ENG FRA

Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the World Food Programme, the International Telecommunication Union, the International Labour Organization, Giga Initiative, and the United Nations Refugee Agency.  

Sudan update - WFP

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP

Sudan update - WFP ENG FRA

The very real risk of famine continues to stalk Sudan’s communities impacted by war, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday, in an appeal for more funding to support immediate needs and boost longer-term recovery across the country.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand Interview

1

1

Edited News | UNOG

Yann Arthus-Bertrand Interview ENG FRA

What can each one of us do to save the planet, asks Yann Arthus-Bertrand on World Environment Day

The last documentary film of legendary nature photographer, documentary director and environmental activist “Nature: The Call for Reconciliation” looks for an answer.

 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on attacks around aid sites in Gaza

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on attacks around aid sites in Gaza ENG FRA

“Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza, are unconscionable. For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured,” Jeremy Laurence UN Human Rights spokesperson said at the biweekly press briefing in Geneva.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 03 June 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | FAO , ILO , OHCHR , UNDP , UNHCR , WHO

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 03 June 2025 ENG FRA

Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the International Labour Organization, the UN Refugee Agency, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization.

Gaza aid update - OCHA 30 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA

Gaza aid update - OCHA 30 May 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza ‘hungriest place on earth’ with aid stymied – UN humanitarians

Starving Gazans continue to be deprived of aid as international relief efforts are being severely constrained by the Israeli authorities, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 30 May 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | IFRC , OCHA , UNCTAD , WMO

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 30 May 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the International Federation of the Red Cross, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Trade and Development, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 27 May 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | WHO , OCHA , UNRWA

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 27 May 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the International Telecommunication Union.  

Gaza humanitarian update - OCHA, UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNRWA

Gaza humanitarian update - OCHA, UNRWA ENG FRA

As a controversial United States and Israel-backed aid distribution plan gets underway in Gaza, the UN called on Tuesday for an “immediate surge” of its own pre-positioned supplies to help prevent starvation.