Peter Salovey President | Yale University
Peter Salovey President | Yale University
The Lancet Countdown's 2024 report on climate change highlights the increasing health threats associated with global inaction. Dr. Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London, emphasized the severity of the findings: “This year’s stocktake of the imminent health threats of climate inaction reveals the most concerning findings yet in our eight years of monitoring.”
The report indicates that 2023 saw unprecedented exposure to extreme temperatures and droughts, affecting nearly half of the global land area. The consequences include increased food insecurity for millions. Governments and companies are criticized for their continued investment in fossil fuels, which exacerbates these issues.
Despite available financial resources to achieve net-zero emissions, funds are being misallocated towards fossil fuel subsidies instead of renewable energy solutions. The upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Azerbaijan is seen as an opportunity to address these challenges.
Three members from Yale Center on Climate Change and Health contributed to this year's report: Dr. Jodi Sherman, Dr. Lingzhi Chu, and Dr. Robert Dubrow. Their work focused on healthcare sector emissions and air conditioning access disparities.
Dr. Sherman noted that healthcare contributes significantly to global emissions: “The health care system has a special obligation to do its share to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero.” Meanwhile, Drs. Dubrow and Chu highlighted inequities in air conditioning access across different countries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres responded by urging action against climate change: “Record-high emissions are posing record-breaking threats to our health.”
The Lancet Countdown report involves contributions from 122 experts worldwide and is available at lancetcountdown.org.
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