World
Earth’s Hottest Day on Record: A Global Health Crisis
By Mara Lafontaine · July 5, 2023
In brief…
- July 4, 2023, marked the Earth's hottest day on record, providing a sobering backdrop for the WHO's 7th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in Budapest, Hungary.
- Environmental factors, including climate change and pollution, are responsible for over 1.4 million deaths annually in Europe alone.
- European heatwaves in the previous year resulted in the loss of more than 20,000 lives, primarily among the elderly and young people.
- Dr. Kluge praises Spain's initiative to establish a government department dedicated to assessing and forecasting the impacts of heatwaves.
- The Budapest Declaration, an initiative aimed at mitigating deaths and adverse health effects caused by climate factors, is being discussed at the conference and is hoped to be upheld by the 53 participating countries.
In an interview with CNN, The World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, sent a clear message: “The time for action is not now, but yesterday.” Yesterday, July 4, 2023, happened to be the Earth’s hottest day on record. The record heat serves as a sobering backdrop to the WHO’s 7th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, which begins today in Budapest, Hungary.
Dr. Kluge pointed to a recent report that found environmental factors, including climate change and pollution, to have caused over 1.4 million deaths annually in Europe alone.
Dr. Kluge reminded viewers that last year’s unprecedented European heatwaves took more than 20,000 lives. He lamented, “Last year was the hottest summer in Europe ever, with more than 20,000 people who passed away, particularly the elderly and the young people from heatstroke from hypothermia. The same goes with floods with erratic rainfall patterns.”
While recognizing some positive steps, such as Spain’s initiative to establish a government department solely to gauge and forecast the impacts of heatwaves on its population, Dr. Kluge urged more action. “First and foremost,” he said, “the government should give a signal that climate change is to be taken seriously.
The Budapest Declaration is an initiative that Kluge hopes will be upheld by the 53 countries participating in the conference, which aims to spur swift action to mitigate deaths and adverse health effects caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Kluge continued, “We cannot wait till all our forests are on fire in Europe or all rivers are dry. These very practical actions can be undertaken now, and this should culminate in the Budapest Declaration.”