Lancet release yearly Countdown report raising alarm of increase in heat caused deaths
Monday, November 4, 2024
Tuesday, The Lancent released the 2024 Lancet Countdown report updating on environmental issues noting an average person was exposed to 50 more days of dangerous temperatures this year compared with 2023. Other factors affecting health included extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods, dust storms.
122 people including advisors from World Health Organization, agencies of United Nations, and academic institutions contributed to the report. The report was on a global scale rather than a specific region such as Europe.
The report included notes that less than 35% of countries were capable of assessing early symptoms of heat caused health issues, and less than 10% for mental issues pertaining to increased temperatures. The authors wrote this limited the resources available for prevention and for planning emergency response if needed.
Additionally, in the report, the authors noted the fossil fuel industry was continuing to setup new mining sites, a concerning trend in light of ready availability and necessity to adopt renewable energy sources.
The report included a summary of 15 parameters. The analysts wrote that in 2023, the planet was already 1.45 C warmer than pre-industrial levels, and was on track to reach 2.7 C heating by 2100.
The authors called for urgent action to reverse the effects of climate change and pollution to reduce their impact in the future, and for improvements to risk assessment and management of associated health and wellbeing issues.
