00:00Have you ever considered that climate change could be a global health emergency?
00:04That is the call being made by more than 140 researchers from different countries
00:09in the new Lancet Countdown report.
00:12Every year scientists assess the effects of rising temperatures on our health.
00:18They have now just published the tenth edition of the report that was led by the University
00:23College London and developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
00:28The outlook is worrying and includes data on Colombia.
00:32One of the researchers' main findings is that in the last decade
00:37The negative impacts of climate change on our health have accelerated.
00:41Since 2016, the annual average of heat-related deaths has increased by 36%.
00:47compared to the period between 2006 and 2015.
00:52In 2023 alone, some 710,000 heat-related deaths were recorded.
00:57of which 71.5% are attributed to climate change.
01:02In other words, scientists estimate that without climate change this year there would have been
01:06reported approximately 200,000 heat-related deaths.
01:10But that's not all.
01:12Based on new satellite analysis, researchers found that since 2023
01:1643% of the Earth's surface has experienced a long-term decline in its reserves
01:23of water, while in the other 37% they have increased.
01:27These are, as they call them, extreme hydrological events that are affecting more than
01:3180% of the planet's land surface, endangering crops and the supply
01:37food and sanitation.
01:39Extreme aid is also becoming more frequent and is increasing the risk
01:43of floods, landslides, and waterborne diseases.
01:48On the other side of the coin, there is an additional point that worries scientists.
01:53Droughts.
01:54According to their report, since 2016 the global land area affected by droughts
01:59has grown at a rate 700% higher than that recorded between 2006 and 2015.
02:06To put it in the words of Marina Romanello, executive director of Lancet Countdown, the
02:11The risks are further aggravated when one considers how the different factors interact and accumulate.
02:16dangers.
02:16This is not a gradual deterioration, but a sudden change that must be recognized as
02:21the global health emergency that it is.
02:24And here's a little something extra.
02:26The researchers analyzed data from specific countries.
02:28Colombia is one of them.
02:31They found that increased exposure to heat is affecting vulnerable populations.
02:35in the country, as well as to the workers.
02:38In particular, environmental conditions have become increasingly favorable for
02:42the transmission of dengue in the country.
02:44Furthermore, one of the biggest health risks for Colombians continues to be pollution.
02:50from the air.
02:50And that is why scientists are calling for a move further and further away from fossil fuels.
02:55and make the energy transition towards renewable sources.
02:59But although the scientific evidence on the relationship between climate change and
03:04Health has grown, but support for climate action has weakened.
03:08According to the report, national governments, as well as organizations and the private sector,
03:13They are less involved in the discussion.
03:15So far, researchers say, efforts have been insufficient.
03:21The impacts are advancing faster than the solutions, making climate change one of the main
03:26threats to health that humanity faces.
03:29If you would like to learn more about the Lancet Countdown report, please visit the Health section.
03:34from El Espectador and don't forget to follow us on all our social media.
03:54Thanks for watching the video.
