INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, APRIL 6With climate change emerging as the single biggest threat facing humanity and nearly 13 million
lives lost every year due to avoidable environmental causes, the World Health Organisation has called for prioritising equitable health and
accelerating steps to protect ecological systems and health to build healthy societies.
'Mountains in hot spot of climate
Climate change impacts on women
"Climate change is putting the health, well-being, and sustainable development of
billions of people across the South-East Asia Region and the world at risk
It imperils decades of progress in the reduction of disease-related morbidity and mortality
We must act now to keep humans and our planet healthy," said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, New Delhi-based WHO South-East
Asia Region, in a press release.
Climate change is expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths annually between 2030 and
The WHO has urged governments and people to take measures to protect 'Our planet, our health,' the theme of World Health Day, 2022, which is
The WHO South-East Asia Region, including Nepal, home to more than two billion people, is highly vulnerable to climate change and has the
highest estimated number of deaths due to climate change
According to the WHO, intense rainfall, frequent floods, forest fires and droughts triggered by climate change are already impacting health
and livelihood and causing huge suffering, mental illness, deaths and displacement, globally and in the region.Rising temperatures are
leading to the outbreak of infectious disease, heat strokes, trauma and even death
Crop failure linked to climate change is driving malnutrition and undernutrition."We have a once-ina-century opportunity to drive
transformative, lasting change
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that if decision-making is transparent, evidence-based and inclusive, people will support bold and
far-reaching policies that protect their health, families and livelihoods," said the regional director."We are at a pivotal moment.The
decisions and actions we take now can either escalate damage to the ecological systems that sustain human health and livelihoods, or can
promote a healthier, fairer, and greener world
Together we must confront the climate crisis, protect health for all and ensure a fairer, healthier, and greener future for generations to
come," she said.A version of this article appears in the print on April 7, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.