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Climate conference highlights health and security
photo by Stefan Lins (mrlins on Flickr CC)
A series on meetings entitled ‘The Health and Security Perspectives of Climate Change – How to secure our future wellbeing’ was held yesterday in London at the headquarters of the British Medical Association.
The view put forth by both human health and military experts at the conference is that climate change is the biggest current threat to both public health and security. Climate change is driving mass migration and resource depletion, both of which can cause and exacerbate armed conflict, as well as the spread of infectious diseases, hunger and malnutrition.
Besides the usual urges for national governments to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in their respective countries and promote healthier lifestyles, the conference suggests that:
[…] developing country governments should analyse climate threats to their health and security, and that all governments should stop construction of new coal-fired power stations without carbon capture and storage (CCS) – which, as commercial CCS systems do not exist, would as things stand amount to a complete ban.
–BBC News
Read more on the conference on BBC News.
In related news, one of the poster countries for climate change, the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, is suffering from the effects of climate change and severe drought from the La Niña weather pattern.
There is very little room for error. Should sea levels rise this beautiful, tiny country – the land area of all nine islands combined is 26 sq km (10 sq miles), 15 times smaller than the Isle of Wight – will become uninhabitable, swallowed whole by the Pacific Ocean.
–Guardian
For more on Tuvalu’s multi-pronged plight of unprecedented drought, rising sea levels and human health issues, check out this article in the Guardian.
Tags: Climate change, conference, Health, security, Tuvalu
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A good response, Rachel ma’am.
I agree Graham sir, forgive me but I just want to respond again. True every nation is entitle to its sovereignty, It’s just that the current situation is asking a mandatory cooperation and submission in accordance to the goal of preventing the more destructive effect of climate change…. no time for dilly-dally or even to play stubborn. A little sacrifice should be made to prevent biggest suffering.. I am dreaming but still hoping for a definite ,organized and feasible action shall be started the soonest……most of all it has to be time bound…
Problem is how to enforce such a law even if it is agreed on? Countries are sovereign and must remain so. Therefore participation has to be voluntary. The underlying fact is that these countries are ruled by multinational fossil fuel-based industries which have no interest in the long term health of the planet.
the thing is, there’s so much talk , talk talk but so meager to act,act, act….they still consider Climate Change as an optional ,which is up to any country if they feel like taking it seriously…They should make a law , all included no exemption… Coz in strictness there’s compliance……..