A panel of experts has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the climate crisis a public health emergency of international concern — the highest level of health alert.
The call comes from an independent advisory group set up by the WHO itself. Such a designation was previously applied during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The experts are calling on the WHO to establish a climate information hub providing fact-checking and scientifically grounded forecasts. Governments are urged to integrate the climate crisis into their national security and health policies.
The WHO set up the commission last year in response to rising health risks linked to climate change. The Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health was tasked with developing affordable and practical recommendations for the health sector, including early warning systems for heatwaves.
The commission is chaired by former Icelandic prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
It also includes former German health minister Karl Lauterbach, who told dpa on Sunday that the WHO “must devote more attention” to the climate crisis.
He said the effects of burning fossil fuels cause around 600,000 deaths annually in Europe, with a further 60,000 deaths linked to heat. “It is time we recognize that we are dealing with a medical emergency,” he added.
The report comes as public health officials and technical experts gather in Geneva for the WHO’s annual World Health Assembly, which begins on Monday.