Global human population is at risk of addiction to fossil fuels, recent report released by Lancet Countdown observes.
It suggests that there has been an increase in “heat deaths, hunger and infectious disease as the climate crisis intensifies, while governments continue to give more in subsidies to fossil fuels than to the poorer countries experiencing the impacts of global heating.”
The researchers equally note that climate emergency is compounding the food, energy and cost of living crises, for instance, it says, “almost half a trillion hours of work were lost in 2021 due to extreme heat, mostly affecting agricultural workers in poorer countries, cutting food supplies and incomes.
In addition, the report underscores that urgent, health-centered action to tackle global heating could save millions of lives a year and enable people to thrive rather than just survive, with cleaner air and better diets.
Titled “Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels”, the report was produced by some 100 experts from 51 institutions across every continent and published at the soundtracks of the upcoming U.N Cop27 climate summit in Egypt.
In his reaction to the findings of the report, U.N secretary general, António Guterres reiterated that, “climate crisis is killing us by undermining not just the health of our planet, but the health of people everywhere – through toxic air pollution, diminishing food security, higher risks of infectious disease outbreaks, record extreme heat, drought, floods and more.”
“Human health, livelihoods, household budgets and national economies were being pummeled, as the fossil fuel addiction continued to spiral out of control,” he added. “The science is clear: massive, commonsense investments in renewable energy and climate resilience will secure a healthier, safer life for people in every country.”
Dr Marina Romanello, the head of the Lancet Countdown and a researcher at University College London (UCL), said: “We are seeing a persistent addiction to fossil fuels. Governments and companies continue to favour the fossil fuel industry to the detriment of people’s health.”
The report investigates at least 43 health and climate indicators, including exposure to extreme heat. It established that “heat-related deaths in the most vulnerable populations – babies under a year old and adults over 65 – increased by 68 per cent over the past four years compared with 2000-2004.”
Extreme heat, according to the report, also led to people being unable to work, with 470bn labour hours lost globally in 2021. “This is about a 40 per cent increase from the 1990s and we estimate the associated income and economic losses at about $700bn,” Lancet Countdown leadership notes.