Revised WMA Declaration of Delhi on Health and Climate Change: For comments
Document no: SMAC 206/Climate Change REV2/Apr2017
Title: Revised WMA Declaration of Delhi on Health and Climate Change
Original: English
Destination: Constituent Members
Action(s) required: For Comments
Note:The Associate Members submitted this proposed statement to the General Assembly in Taipei (October 2016), under the initiative of the Junior Doctors Network (JDN). The General Assembly passed it to the 204th Council Session, which decided to circulate it to the members for comments. The Council in Livingstone (April 2017) considered the compromise version based on the comments received and decided to return the draft to the rapporteur for further work in view of the discussion during the meeting, before a new circulation.
Suggested Keywords: Climate change, air pollution, environment, Paris Agreement, Marrakesh Agreement, COP, mitigation, heat waves, flooding
PREAMBLE
- Compelling evidence substantiates the numerous health risks posed by climate change, which threaten populations of low, middle and high-income countries. These include more frequent and potentially more severe heat waves, droughts, flooding and other extreme weather events including storms and bushfires. The resulting climate change, especially warming, is already leading to changes in the areas in which disease vectors flourish. There is reduced availability and quality of potable water, and worsening food insecurity leading to malnutrition and population displacement. Global warming is universal but its effects are unevenly spread and many of the areas most strongly affected are least able to manage the challenges it poses.
- Tackling climate change offers opportunities to improve health and wellbeing both because of the health co-benefits of low carbon solutions and because mitigation and adaptation allow action on all the social determinants of health. Transition to renewable energy, the use of active transport, dietary change including a reduction in consumption of red meat, may all contribute to improving health. Mitigation actions, such as those on reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution, will reduce health harms suffered predominantly by poorer people.
