Meeting in Bonn discusses adaptation strategies
Climate change is already having a tangible effect on human health. This is the tenor of the first meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the impacts of global climate change on human health that ends today in Bonn. The spectrum of illnesses and diseases is changing at our latitudes too. Allergies can increase and infectious diseases can spread. Heatwaves place a great strain on older people with cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, climate change is likely to facilitate the spread of some infectious diseases since the living conditions of animals carrying the diseases are improving. The meeting took place under the auspices of the Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Ministry of Health.
Climate change will place an additional burden on health systems, especially in regions that already suffer from shortages and poor supply in the health sector. Alongside the heat warning systems already installed in Germany and the warning systems for infectious diseases, it is essential to raise public awareness of the dangers and to prepare all those affected for the impacts of climate change as fully as possible in order to ensure the best possible health protection for the population.
Together with the WHO, Germany, as a pioneer in climate protection, aims to help other countries in preparing their health systems for these hazards and in introducing effective measures for adapting to a changing climate. As climate change is a global problem it is essential to have a global cooperation network with a view to a sustainable adaptation of health systems. The Bonn meeting is laying the foundations for this.