Health Students for Climate Justice
Aliza Ayaz
United Nations Ambassador | Business Consultant | Technology, Digital, GRC, Change Management, Business Transformation, Cybersecurity, Cost Optimisation, Agile | Director Climate Action Society | International Speaker
In current climate negotiations, health is still being treated as peripheral despite its overarching relevance to many central issues. Health is poorly represented in the Paris agreement and in the discussion about the implementation of the agreement in Morocco and Bonn thus far. This makes this issue of great urgency.
Are you still wondering how health is related to climate change?
Climate Change is a Global Public Health Crisis.
7 million people a year die as a result of air pollution and over 90% is breathing polluted air.
Climate change has detrimental impacts on human health and health professionals are speaking out:
Heart attack, depression, malnutrition, malaria, health inequalities. Problems which most of us are familiar with.
The health of a child born today will be affected at every single stage of their life by a changing climate - facing higher risk of disease and undernutrition.
We are well-aware of the benefits that climate change actions offer to human health.
Yet, human health has traditionally been neglected in the climate change discourse at the heart of the Paris Agreement: the nationally determined contributions or in short NDCs.
Protecting health forms a powerful argument to accelerate climate action and motivate for ambitious NDCs (noncommunicable diseases).
Yet, according to a preliminary WHO analysis, only around ? of currently submitted NDCs mention health- often mentioned among the five sectors as most vulnerable to the climate crisis. But, this is not followed through in action for health.
As a critical tool, the NDCs are the primary means for governments to show the international community the steps needed to tackle climate change.
Concrete health actions, including mitigation and adaptation, must be strengthened when updating NDCs by 2020.
We are here to represent future health workforce, but we are not alone. Over 150 health professionals were there during COP25. While I am speaking, health care professionals worldwide are taking it to the streets.
In 2019, I co-led a climate march in London attended by 1300 people. This was attended by students from a variety of disciplines: budding economists, lawyers, artists and passionate healthcare students, and we drew attention to the health crisis.
Civil society has changed the social landscape.
Doctors have the prescription ready.
It is time for politics to catch up.
Next year, COP will be in the United Kingdom. Let’s make this a health COP
Behavioural Designer || Trustee at Mind || Diversity & Inclusion Advocate || Sustainability Campaigner || 30-under-30 Next Generation Insights Leader
4 年During my academic design projects I have always had a passion for solving health and wellbeing issues. Once I got interested in sustainability, it was intriguing to see the commonalities between health and sustainability. Having less cars is good for our lungs, will more likely make us walk/cycle more, and helps stabilise our carbon footprint. Eating biological food keeps both our bodies and the planet clean. Shedding less microplastics means our seafood (which we consume) will be kept clean. The Centric Lab also mentions a few neuro-psychological consequences of climate change, such as PTSD:?https://www.thecentriclab.com/ptsd-cities. One of their talks in London last year also mentioned a possible link between air pollution and Alzheimer.? It is indeed mind-boggling how the two dots are barely connected during climate conversations and campaigns. I personally think that taking the health narrative is much more effective to initiate pro-environmental behaviour change. The ecological climate disaster narrative is too daunting, 'futuristic' and impersonal. It would benefit innovators, policy makers, consumers or anyone interested in climate action to include a health narrative. Couldn't agree more with your article.?
Consultant Surgeon | Medical Director with track record of success and innovation | Healthcare Strategist | MBA | Author
4 年Great read, Aliza