Meeting the Paris Agreement targets could reduce projected mortality by more than 80% by the end of the century
United Nations experts are sounding the alarm: Without changing human behavior, climate change could cause more deaths than cancer.
With almost 10 million deaths in 2020, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. But this scourge could soon be surpassed by climate change. In a report published on Friday November 4, experts from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) warn that if nothing is done to reduce carbon emissions, they could kill twice as many people as certain diseases in the world’s hottest regions to reduce.
The report cites the example of the city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. In the worst-case scenario, if greenhouse gas emissions don’t decrease by 2100, climate change would cause twice as many deaths as cancer from any cause.
François Gemenne: “The situation on the planet is dramatic. Climate change is already killing people and the 21st century will be one of the pandemics.”
“Cardiovascular and respiratory systems under heavy stress”
One possibility is the high temperatures, which “put the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to the test,” the report points out. In the city of Faisalabad, Pakistan, the heat could kill more people than strokes, which are now the third leading cause of death in the country.
However, in the face of climate change, not all countries are the same. Saudi Arabia, on the frontline of global warming, should not suffer the same fate as Bangladesh or Pakistan thanks to its financial resources. This could help the country curb excess mortality. In contrast, in the coldest regions, climate change should reduce mortality, but to a lesser extent.
Are there ways to avoid the worst? Yes, answer the experts from the United Nations, who invite compliance with the Paris Agreement. The report urges “limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100” to save “tens of millions of lives over the coming decades”. An important message as Cop 27 opened in Egypt on Sunday 6th November.
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