Pacific to address health impacts of climate change [1]
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 - 16:49. Updated on Thursday, April 5, 2018 - 10:13.
Discussions around the overall health and safety of Pacific Islands impacted by extreme weather events induced by climate change were discussed at a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting last week over two days on 15 and 16 March in Suva, Fiji.
Thirty-five participants including Pacific government leaders from 18 Pacific countries and areas, and 25 technical climate change experts and stakeholders met to develop a Pacific action plan for the WHO Special Initiative on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing State.
The plan covers 22 Pacific Island countries and areas and aims to protect people from climate change health impacts by strengthening their health systems with knowledge, resources and technology to respond to extreme weather events.
WHO’s first Assistant Director-General (ADG) for Climate and other Determinants of Health, Dr Joy St John, said “As a citizen of Barbados, another Small Island Developing State, I understand how climate change is having such extreme impacts on our countries”.
“This is why I am so passionate about this Initiative and I am committed to pushing for practical solutions and action to address the health impacts of climate change.”
As Pacific Islands are vulnerable to floods, drought, rising sea levels, and extreme cyclones, human health can be affected through a range of impacts such as death or injury in floods and storms, contaminated water, food availability and quality, air pollution, water and food borne diseases and other health effects.
In addition, extreme weather events also destroys homes, medical facilities and other essential services, which all impact a person's health.
With these issues in mind, participants at the WHO meeting discussed a timeline for the action plan and how resources are best used to implement it.
During COP23 in November last year, the action plan was launched with the vision that by 2030, all Small Island Developing States will have health systems that are resilient to climate change.