We are truly facing a planetary climate emergency and if we do not act, the lives of millions of people are in danger. The person who affirms this is Dr. Marina Romanello, executive director of Lancet Countdown, an institution in which 250 researchers and scientists from around the world collaborate to analyze, measure and monitor the effects of climate change on people's health. “We are very concerned as researchers – she stated – when we see the data on the impact of climate change on people's health and the inaction of governments to combat it.”
Dr. Romanello was recently interviewed live via streaming by Enric Sierra, deputy director of La Vanguardia. In this interview she presented the results of the research carried out by the Lancet Countdown institution that she directs.
Following Enric Sierra's reflection on the extremely catastrophic bias of messages about the impact of climate change, which generate eco-anxiety among citizens, Dr. Romanello assured that the warning about the risks facing the planet and its inhabitants responds to a serious scientifically proven reality. “And that – she insisted – must be said clearly and simply because it seems that neither governments nor citizens are yet fully aware of the problem.”
Marina Romanello is a true authority in the field of the impact of climate change on health. She is a doctor in Biomedical Sciences, a researcher in climate change and health at the prestigious British university of Cambridge, a consultant to the British National Health System, a consultant to the Italian Health Council and a collaborator of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The doctor states that the policies currently underway in the world lead us inexorably towards an increase in the planet's temperature of 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century and it can be assured that this fact will put the lives of millions of people at risk. “We must do everything possible to ensure that this catastrophic scenario does not occur.
There is still hope because, if things are done well, we still have time to not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming and to increase the resilience of societies to soften the impacts of the global warming of the atmosphere that we already know. that are going to be produced and that, in reality, are already being produced. What it is about is that the impact is as small as possible,” he explained.
At the moment, the latest Lancet Countdown report warns that in the year 2022 the planet has registered a record of extreme impacts caused by climate change, such as severe floods, heat waves, violent storms, droughts, very aggressive forest fires and damage to agricultural crops.
“At the same time, the risks of death increase due to this increase in extreme weather phenomena,” the doctor explained. Those over 65 years of age and children under one year of age are extremely vulnerable to heat waves, putting their lives at risk. The same happens with workers exposed to high temperatures due to their work. The Lancet Countdown estimates that more than $700 billion is lost in the global economy due to hours not worked due to extreme heat, with the consequent loss of income for families and the lower quality of life that this entails, which in turn implies greater health risks. Forest fires, in addition to affecting the environment, cause serious exposure to smoke in nearby populations with damage to health in the short and medium term.
Food insecurity, whether due to extreme heat waves or floods, also generates serious food insecurity. In 2022 it will affect 98 million more people than two years before. Another very serious impact of climate change, according to Dr. Romanello, is the increase in infectious diseases, such as dengue, malaria or cholera, which are very sensitive to the environment. As the climate changes, there are more areas of the world that progressively become suitable for the transmission of these diseases.
The problem, in the opinion of this scientist, is that governments and supranational institutions, global governance in short, have not been efficient in reducing gas emissions that generate the greenhouse effect that warms the planet. The data indicate that a great effort has been made to promote renewable energies but not to reduce emissions from fossil fuels. The result is that global warming continues to increase. "After eight years of research, we confirmed - stated Dr. Romanello - that there is a persistent addiction to fossil fuels, we cannot reduce their consumption and this seriously impacts health."
Marina Romanello accuses the fossil fuel sector of not reducing its activity, “which leads us – she said – to more than 100% excess emissions by the year 2040. Therefore – she added – we are not facing a healthy future. ”.
Governments - the doctor also denounced - continue to subsidize the consumption of fossil fuels, with more than 400,000 million dollars a year. “This is,” she said, “a huge amount of money that should be allocated to promoting clean energy, improving air quality and promoting health.
Despite everything, in the opinion of the executive director of Lancet Countdown, we are at a turning point where we could reverse the situation and achieve compliance with the Paris Agreements if we make the effort and if governments face the challenge with political will and determination. fight against fossil energies and climate change.
"Today we know - stated Dr. Romanello - that we can avoid 1.2 million deaths each year that occur due to air pollution due to the combustion of fossil fuels, and millions more deaths if the rest of the harmful gases were controlled. . The WHO estimates that more than seven million lives could be saved each year.”
With the reform of the agri-food sector aimed at reducing the consumption of meat and other products that are harmful to health and the climate, another ten million lives could be saved a year thanks to healthier and healthier diets. To all this, Dr. Romanello adds the improvement of city management to reduce air pollution by promoting active transportation and sustainable mobility. “We need – she concluded – to combat climate change as it is the biggest risk to public health of this century.”
When asked by the deputy director of 'La Vanguardia', Enric Sierra, Dr. Romanello says that we must not lose hope and that, despite the problems, we must focus on solutions. In this sense, she defends that, at the next United Nations conference on climate change, COP 28, which will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, firm government decisions against climate change should be made. Likewise, solutions will have to be promoted to increase the resilience of health systems and promote the commitment of citizens and economic and social agents.
“Greater political will is needed,” he said, “to divert money from fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy and energy efficiency.” He also affirms that aid must be activated for the most vulnerable countries – which are paralyzed – because the impact of climate change will cause areas of the planet to become uninhabitable and will generate large migrations. “But if you react in time it can be avoided. The responsibility is global,” he said.
The doctor also defends that climate change should be promoted as an alternative to improve collective well-being and health. In this sense, she asks governments to promote the change in citizens' lives for a more sustainable life and to do so by highlighting the benefits instead of the sacrifices that this may entail. But she warns the executive director of Lancet Countdown that it is urgent to mobilize because climate change is a real threat. “Climate alterations – she stated – have an exponential evolution, with catastrophic impacts that will change all of our lives, causing serious threats to our health, the economy and a setback in individual and collective well-being. That's why – she said – we have to react as soon as possible."
