Health issues gain traction at UN Climate Conference
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - Conference of the Parties (COP-17) Nov 28–Dec 9 2011
For the first time since the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed in 1992, health is gaining notice as a key goal of climate policies and as a priority in climate mitigation and adaptation actions.
Up until recently, the level of health representation in the negotiations has taken very low, usually with just a single side event dedicated to the issue.
Health through a better environment
Environmental hazards are responsible for as much as a quarter of the total burden of disease world-wide, and more than one-third of the burden among children. Heading that list are diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, various forms of unintentional injuries and malaria. The disease burden is much higher in the developing world, although in the case of certain non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, the per capita disease burden is larger in developed countries. Health impacts of environmental hazards run across more than 80 diseases and types of injury.
Well-targeted interventions can prevent much of this environmental risk.
Worldwide, as many as 13 million deaths could be prevented every year by making our environments healthier.
Mercury and health
Governments, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme, will be negotiating a global legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions.
WHO has observer status in the negotiations, and is assisting governments through the provision of independent authoritative information on the health aspects of mercury. WHO is in addition continuing to support governments to substitute the use of mercury thermometers and blood sphygmomanometers in health care with non-mercury alternatives. The different forms and emissions of mercury into the environment vary widely in their potential to impact on human health. The biggest health gains will be made by addressing the main sources of mercury, which are the burning of coal (just under 50%), followed by mining and metal production, including artisanal and small scale gold mining.
Japan nuclear concerns
June -- Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has announced that the amount of radiation emitted during the first week of the Fukushima nuclear plant incident is double the initial estimate. At this time, based on the updated information, there are no additional measures recommended beyond earlier actions taken, but the situation is under assessment. Earlier public health actions implemented immediately after the incident (i.e. evacuation, sheltering), as well as the additional protective actions taken later based on the results of the environmental monitoring (relocation of populations in other villages), have been the correct protective measures to protect those populations from radiation exposure. These measures reflect basic principles on protecting populations against radiation.
