By Gloria Dickie, Elizabeth Piper and Alexander Cornwell
At the U.N. climate summit on Sunday, the United Arab Emirates and several charities pledged $777 million in financing to combat neglected tropical diseases, which are expected to worsen with rising temperatures. COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber stated that climate-related factors present a significant threat to human health in the 21st century.
The pledges, made during the COP28 summit, included $100 million from the UAE, $100 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and funds from Belgium, Germany, and the U.S. Agency for International Development to address climate-related health issues. The World Bank also launched a program to explore support measures for public health in developing countries where climate-related health risks are high.
Tropical diseases are set to worsen as the world warms, along with other climate-driven health threats such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress. The COP28 declaration, signed by over 120 countries, acknowledged the responsibility to keep people safe amid global warming, but did not include mention of fossil fuels, a major source of climate-warming emissions.
Activists, including physicians, held a demonstration within the COP28 compound to raise awareness of climate-related health issues. Climate change is also contributing to dangerous storms and erratic rainfall, leading to increased fatalities and disease outbreaks.
Bill Gates announced that scientists are working on new treatments and prevention for mosquito-spread malaria due to the rise in temperatures creating more hospitable breeding habitats for mosquitoes. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged reform to the world’s insurance system as a key requirement to keep people safe in the face of climate change.
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