The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized the critical need for health to be a priority at this month’s COP29 climate talks, citing the severe impact of climate change on health. According to a report released ahead of the summit in Azerbaijan, extreme weather events linked to climate change are causing deaths and spreading diseases. This growing concern over climate’s effect on health was highlighted at last year’s COP28, which for the first time dedicated a day to health issues. The upcoming summit in Baku is seen as crucial, especially with the anticipated return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency in January, given his past rejection of climate action. The WHO warned that “urgent action is a matter of life and death,” stressing that climate change threatens physical and mental health, as well as overall well-being, due to direct impacts like extreme weather and air pollution, and indirect effects such as ecosystem disruption and social instability.
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