Climate and Health
The recent University of Oslo 鈥� Lancet Commission on politics and health inequity did not include discussions of the consequences of climate change.
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Kv氓le G, Moen BE.
May 2014
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Centre for International Health Director, Bente Moen, and previous Director, Gunnar Kv氓le, have written a commentary on the 听in The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association (Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening).
According to Moen and Kv氓le, while the commissioned report highlighted important concerns about the unacceptability of existing inequities in health and health services between and within countries, it did not discuss the considerable potential impacts of climate change on global health.
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Planetary health 鈥� and if the planet dies?
The authors state that 鈥渃limate change has been described by a as the greatest threat to human health of our century.鈥� They add that debates concerning global targets for health and sustainable development need to include discussions of 鈥減lanetary health鈥�. Policies for ensuring economic development and poverty reduction need to be established in the context considerations of climate change and its impacts on global health. For example, sustainable energy production needs to be addressed.
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Safeguarding good health is a major challenge for capitalism
Political will is necessary for the radical changes necessary in national and international policies around the globe. Action is needed 鈥� but initiatives need to involve close cooperation between actors, such as between the UN Climate Panel and Global Health authorities.
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Other links:
Report highlights
- Political and other power structures internationally and nationally are critically important
- State and non-state actors need to cooperate
- Situation exacerbed by symmetric power structures, poor coordination, weak institutions, failing democratic control and corruption ...
Report recommendations:
- Wider participation in global governance decisions concerning health including more policy areas perspectives
- Establishment of multi-stakeholder platform to highlight issues, influence decisions and propose solutions ...
