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Time Magazine

Cities Are on the Front Line of the ‘Climate-Health Crisis.’ A New Report Provides a Framework for Tackling Its Effects

Time Magazine
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87% Informative

The World Health Organization estimates that extreme heat kills almost half a million people each year .

But the threats to public health posed by climate change go well beyond extreme heat.

Historic rainfall and rising temperatures are driving malaria, cholera and dengue outbreaks.

Less than a third of cities have a resilience plan that integrates climate and health, according to a new report.

The Rockefeller Foundation report underscores the importance of developing “always-on” communication strategies.

Early warning systems are a case of “low hanging fruit,” says Celeste Saulo , secretary-general of the WMO.

The WHO and WMO estimate that scaling a warning system like this could avert almost 100,000 deaths a year.

Last December , at COP28, governments and other stakeholders committed $1 billion to the climate-health crisis.

But that is well short of the $11 billion each year Rao says is needed for low- and middle-income countries to adapt to climate and health impacts.

“What needs to hold this whole thing together is more funding,” Rao says.