Climate change & epidemics 2023: climade consortium report; summary for policymakers COP28
Date
2023
Authors
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Publisher
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: As the world endeavours to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to recognize that another crisis, unfolding at an alarming pace, demands our immediate attention. Climate change has assumed a dominant role our lives, causing unprecedented levels of distress. Populations across the globe are grappling with the devastating consequences of extreme climatic events, necessitating efforts to control wildfires, rebuild infrastructure damaged by floods, and adapt to a progressively hotter and more perilous environment. Regrettably, amidst these challenges, there is a looming threat that is being overlooked—the intricate interaction between climate change and infectious diseases. A review has revealed that climate change has the potential to aggravate over 50% of known human pathogens. This distressing phenomenon is not a distant projection but a stark reality currently unfolding before us.
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Citation
CLIMADE Consortium. Summary for Policymakers: COP28, in Climate Change and Epidemics 2023. CLIMADE Consortium report. Edited by Core writing team, T. de Oliveira and C. Baxter. CLIMADE: Stellenbosch Univeristy, Stellenbosch. South Africa. pp1-23, doi 10.25413/sun.24599043.