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Welcome to this 4th edition of the Ha Noi Climate Talks, which WHO is proud to host along with the Embassy of Germany. An especially warm welcome to Green One UN House, where we are very proud that sustainability principles are included in the building’s design, construction and operation.
Today, we are here to talk about the ‘Health Impacts of Climate Change and Air Pollution’.
I sometimes get asked, “Why is WHO working on climate change? What does it have to do with health?”
The answer is that climate change and air pollution threaten good health in quite fundamental ways. Climate change puts at risk the essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter – with the potential to undermine decades of progress in health globally and here in Viet Nam – unless we act together.
Climate change and air pollution are closely connected. The same fossil fuels which are a major source of outdoor air pollution are also producing the carbon emissions which are accelerating climate change.
Viet Nam is already feeling the direct health impacts of climate change including extreme heat, as well as the indirect effects, such as damage to health facilities and injuries caused by extreme weather events, as demonstrated by Typhoon Yagi – as well as the increasing frequency and severity of outbreaks of sensitive diseases such as dengue.
Sadly, Viet Nam has some of the most polluted air in the ASEAN Region, bringing with it respiratory illnesses, causing at least 70,000 deaths each year in Viet Nam, and shortening the average lifespan by 1.4 years.
Just think about that last figure for a moment: the health effects of air pollution alone will reverse gains in life expectancy – in other words, today’s children may have a lower life expectancy than their parents and grandparents – without action to reduce and mitigate its impacts.
That is the bad news.
The good news is that we, collectively, have the opportunity to help change this.
The Government of Viet Nam has made clear that addressing climate change is a priority for Viet Nam. As you all know, at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Viet Nam committed to reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050.
And there are several opportunities on the near horizon to advance (or operationalize) this commitment.
For example, as the National Action Plan for Air Quality Management for 2021-2025 ends, we hope to see a commitment to accelerated action to improve air quality in any successor document.
The next iteration of Viet Nam’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will also be an opportunity to outline how Viet Nam will meet its commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
And as many of you are aware, in December 2022, Viet Nam and the International Partners Group announced a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), which aims to unlock financing to support the country to accelerate the use of renewable and clean energy.
These are just a few examples – there will be many others.
The key point here is that support from international partners, as well as the private sector, the media and the public, will be critically important in supporting the Government of Viet Nam to take advantage of these opportunities to deliver on its commitments.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Health – and lives – literally depend on it. But as awful as the consequences of inaction will be, the counter-factual is also true: effectively reducing air pollution and slowing down climate change will bring huge benefits, for health, for the environment, and for sustainable economic and social development.
For WHO’s part, we are absolutely committed to playing our part – to continuing to make the health argument for stronger action on climate change, and of course to working in close collaboration with the Viet Nam Ministry of Health and other partners to mitigate the health impacts of climate change, as well as reduce the health sector’s contribution to it.
So, thank you again for being here today, and especially to our friends at the German Embassy for co-hosting this event with WHO today. We are ready – and excited – to continue working with all of you on actions to address climate change and air pollution, which will be good for the environment and deliver better, healthier lives for all.
I wish everyone an excellent Climate Talk – and more days with blue sky and clean air in the future.
Xin cảm ơn!