Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 20 leaders of governments and international organizations have agreed and called for action to increase the resilience of healthcare facilities to climate change and to increase indoor air quality through sustainable energy.
The call to actionfocuses on 6 areas based on a strategic roadmap To promote the health of the population through clean and sustainable energy To address the disparities and health concerns caused by lack of access to clean cooking and electricity in health care facilities. Actions include: consideration of clean cooking and access to electricity as priorities for the development of health care facilities necessary to protect public health; Significantly increase public and private investments in the electrification of healthcare facilities and clean cooking; and develop customized policies and financing plans to unlock the potential of clean and sustainable energy solutions.
It is estimated that hundreds of millions of people receive health services in health facilities that lack electricity. This limits access to essential life-saving medical devices and significantly hampers the quality, accessibility and reliability of health services provided.
“It is unacceptable that a large part of the population is not able to access adequate health services due to the lack of electricity,” said Dr Maria Neira, director of the Department for Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization. “A person’s right to health should not be determined by their place of birth, and the right to universal health care is our global responsibility.”
About a third of the world’s population still depends on polluted fuels to meet their basic daily energy needs for cooking. The resulting household air pollution results in 3.2 million premature deaths each year from non-communicable diseases and pneumonia. Families who depend on polluting fuels for cooking threaten to create an environment that often puts the most vulnerable communities at great risk. Cooking with polluting fuels is also the largest source of black carbon, making it responsible for about half of black carbon emissions globally.
Unfortunately, lack of access to clean fuels and technologies starts at home. Women and children are exposed to polluted air when using dirty fuel for cooking, as they spend most of the time at home, and take additional risks when they have to travel far from home to collect firewood for cooking. Accelerating access to clean cooking will not only save millions of lives, but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus protect our planet.
In accelerating access to clean cooking and electric healthcare facilities, COP27 offers a great opportunity to advance climate change mitigation and build the resilience of health systems, protecting public health now and in the future, while saving millions of lives. The High-Level Alliance stands ready to work with all partners in COP27 and beyond to accelerate action to ensure a healthy, clean and safe future for all.
More resources
High-level alliance on health and energy
Health and Energy Platform (HEPA)
A call to action to increase the resilience of healthcare facilities to climate change and to increase indoor air quality through sustainable energy.
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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