Why is COP 28 summit focusing on health? (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- For the first time in 28 years of climate change negotiations, the climate-health nexus took centre stage at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP-28) summit in the UAE.
Details:
- Unabated greenhouse gas emissions are triggering extreme weather events, air pollution, food insecurity, water scarcity and population displacement, which in turn, are altering the trajectory of vector-borne diseases.
- Africa, Asia, South and Central America, and small island states, which have contributed the least to climate change, are bearing the brunt.
- Addressing these issues, on December 2, 123 governments endorsed the COP-28 Declaration on Climate and Health.
Why is there a ‘Health Day’ at the summit?
- The ‘groundbreaking Health Day at COP-28’ is expected to pose two questions:
- how public health can become resilient to climate change, and
- who will finance this transformation.
- India also highlighted the intricate link between climate change and public health during the health talks held under its G-20 presidency.
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognises the health impacts of climate change.
- This is also the first time there will be a health inter-ministerial meeting, with ministers of health, environment, finance and other types of ministries joining in. While the Declaration text is final, the health ministers will be able to add supplementary comments during the meeting.
Declaration on Climate and Health:
- The COP-28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health includes dialogue on mitigating emissions, health sector adaptation to climate change, mainstreaming of health into climate policies and the sticky question of climate financing for health.
- The Declaration, however, doesn’t mention fossil fuels. It recognises the need for climate mitigation, “strengthening research on the linkages between environmental and climatic factors and antimicrobial resistance”; and “intensifying efforts for the early detection of zoonotic spill-overs” to prevent future pandemics.
- It does not mention pollution-related harms or identify ‘fossil fuels’ as a driver of health threats, or emphasise the need to end fossil fuel dependence. Fossil fuels are seen as the largest contributor to global climate change.
- British epidemiologist Sir Andy Haines at the briefing said that a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy would be an important health outcome.
What are the concerns?
- Most G-20 countries, including wealthy industrialised nations responsible for the majority of historic greenhouse gas emissions, have failed to centre health in their climate action.
- Low-and middle-income countries like Burundi and Congo were found to be better at engaging with health concerns in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
- Changing weather patterns and rising temperatures are altering the life cycle of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, which disproportionately impact poorer, marginalised groups (the spread of dengue has increased in India over the last two decades, research shows).
- Then there is the matter of finance. Health crises triggered by warming climate are expected to chart a financial toll of around $2-4 billion annually by 2030.
- Another estimate shows that 40% of climate-related poverty would be due to direct health impacts, as people’s income, productivity and health costs would soar.
Finance:
- The Green Climate Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the Global Fund and Rockefeller Foundation pledged a new $1 billion finance pledge for climate and health.
- Developing countries had earlier asserted the need for grant-based international public finance that doesn’t add to their debt burden.
- However, the Declaration endorses climate-health funding from “domestic budgets, multilateral development banks, multilateral climate funds, along with philanthropies and private sector actors.
Where does India stand?
- In India, particulate air pollution is said to be the “greatest threat to human health”, and heat-related deaths may kill an additional 10 lakh people annually by 2090.
- India scored 2/15 points in the 2023 GCHA scorecard that assessed India’s inclusion of clean air in its national climate commitments.
- India’s NDCs thus far have focused on reducing emissions intensity, transitioning to non-fossil fuel sources and creating additional carbon sinks.
- Experts emphasised that health has to be woven across streams at the COP negotiations, which includes discussions on clean water, clean air and sustainable cities.
