INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Climate change poses a growing threat to human health but most countries are not doing enough to act on it, the World Health Organisation
has warned.In a survey of over 100 countries, the UN health agency found that although half had developed national health and climate change
strategies, only 38% had the funding to even partially deliver on those plans, and fewer than 10% of those surveyed had the full funding
necessary.The report comes as world leaders, negotiators and activists gather in Madrid for the UN's annual climate change
conference.Image:World leaders and ministers are attending the UN climate change summit in MadridWHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus said: "Climate change is not only racking up a bill for future generations to pay, it's a price that people are paying for now
with their health."It is a moral imperative that countries have the resources they need to act against climate change and safeguard health
now and in the future."The report said: "The most common climate sensitive health risks were identified by countries as heat stress, injury
or death from extreme weather events, food, water and vector-borne diseases (such as cholera, dengue or malaria)."However, about 60% of
these countries report that the assessment findings have had little or no influence on the allocation of human and financial resources to
meet their adaptation priorities for protecting health."Report authors highlighted the research that has already been done on the potential
health benefits of reducing emissions, emphasising that meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement would reduce air pollution to such
an extent that it could save approximately one million lives per year.They warned that far too few of the countries surveyed even mentioned
health as it relates to emissions reductions as part of their commitments to the Paris Agreement.:: A New Climate is a series of special
podcasts from the Sky News Daily
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, SpreakerThe director of the WHO's department of environment, climate change and health,
said: "For the Paris Agreement to be effective to protect people's health, all levels of government need to prioritise building health
system resilience to climate change, and a growing number of national governments are clearly headed in that direction."Representatives from
nearly 200 countries have gathered in Madrid to discuss ramping up their commitments in the next year.As part of that they have to finalise
the last remaining pieces of the Paris Agreement, including deciding on rules for global carbon markets, and agreeing how to compensate
poorer countries that have suffered loss and damage from climate change.
