A recent World Health Organization (WHO) research, released in advance of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku (COP29), Azerbaijan, said that health considerations must be given top priority while taking action against climate change.

The WHO calls on global leaders to abandon the compartmentalized approach and include health into climate discussions in its special report on climate and health.

In the report, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “The climate crisis is a health crisis, which makes prioritizing health and well-being in climate action not only a moral and legal imperative but also a strategic opportunity to unlock transformative health benefits for a more just and equitable future.”

The WHO study, which was created in cooperation with more than 100 organizations and 300 experts, highlights important steps that may enhance the quality of life for the approximately 3.6 billion people who reside in regions most vulnerable to climate change.

It demanded the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and dependence in addition to elevating human health and well-being to the highest criterion for climate success. The research recommended investing in sustainable, clean alternatives that may lower carbon emissions and prevent illnesses that are on the rise as a result of pollution.

Practical recommendations for mitigating health consequences, bolstering health systems, improving climate resilience and decarbonizing health systems, and advancing the co-benefits of health and climate change adaptation and mitigation are also included in the paper.

A new study in the Lancet claims that India is among the nations most affected by climate change.

“Ten out of fifteen indicators tracking health threats reaching… new records” was shown.

The 2015 Paris Agreement’s pledges notwithstanding, global temperatures are approaching the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold. If not quickly reduced, this will significantly increase the hazards to one’s health.