Climate change, considered the greatest challenge of our time by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a perfect breeding ground for problems related to people’s health to increase. More specifically, the consequences caused by the increase in terrestrial temperature will affect patients with previous illnesses. This was recalled by Carlos Cabrera, pulmonologist at the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria, during the first virtual Greentalks meeting, organized by Muy Interesting and Gaceta Médica and developed with the support of Fundamed and the pharmaceutical company GSK.
Cabrera brought up phenomena that could be decisive in the short and medium term, such as the next droughts. The consequences of climate change on crops “will make crops not viable in many parts of the planet, which will cause nutrition problems.” These circumstances will build an immune system ” less prepared for infections that we may suffer in the future, ” added Dr. Cabrera. He also stressed that the rise in temperatures will decimate the flora and fauna that were used to ecosystems with specific characteristics, which in turn will create new vectors of diseases.
More heat waves
The progressive warming of the planet will also influence the intensity of heat waves: “For each extra degree of normal temperature there will be an increase in mortality of 3%,” said the pulmonologist. Despite this, extreme temperatures are currently killing fewer people than, for example, in 2003, when 70,000 Europeans lost their lives as a result of an exceptional rise in summer temperatures. “[That event] made us learn and evolve in our ability to anticipate,” explained Fernando Valladares, research professor at the Higher Center for Scientific Research (CSIC). To understand the implications of all this, Valladares refers to the so-called disaster triangle. Each side of this triangle – and the implicit size of its edges – symbolizes an aggravating factor. In this way, the first side shows the vulnerability to an extreme climatic event, the second refers to the degree of exposure to it and the third indicates the intensity of the phenomenon itself. Despite this, Valladares considers that there are “mechanisms of social adaptation and responsible behavior” that are necessary to be able to consolidate a change of consciousness in relation to these threats.
“It is not always necessary to resort to the contingency barrier of the health system,” stressed the CSIC expert. Valladares gave as an example the hyperprotection of children in developed countries, which reduces their risk of dying prematurely, despite being part of the most vulnerable population. This mentality can be transferred to other areas of action that imply not overloading health systems in the future. To ensure that all active agents go in the same direction, Valladares considered that a global governance that offers solutions at a global level is necessary. Finally, the scientist emphasized that the mitigation of climate change must be “an inalienable objective”, for which it is necessary to “work quickly” on adaptation measures and “hopeful examples”. And in this global governance among all agents, patients play a leading role. “Communication with society is important to raise awareness and promote co-responsibility,” said Nicole Hass, spokesperson and technical advisor for the Association of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (APEPOC). And, for example, COPD patients need “optimal conditions” that are often affected by certain factors in the environment where they live.
In this sense, European policy is heading towards a more sustainable route with the so-called European Green Pact, a set of strategies that will allow the Old Continent to advance on the path of decarbonization of the energy system, explained Nicolás González, socialist MEP and member of the Food Safety, Public Health and Environment Commission (ENVI). The COVID-19 pandemic “has put ecology at the center of the debates,” said González, a fact that “it is necessary to reinforce so that it continues forward.” Strategies such as the circular economy, sustainable investments and the reduction of emissions are part of the backbone of the regulations. According to the MEP, the European Green Deal will provide a boost in the ecological and digital transition of our continent, a fact “that companies should take advantage of to be more proactive “.
In this sense, Esteban Palomo, vice president and director of Patient Advocact – Patient Defense – of GSK Spain, highlighted the importance of leading these actions, because “the protection of the natural environment is a strategic asset”. For this reason, GSK considers that protecting natural resources is necessary to continue offering quality products to patients. In line with the provisions of Sustainable Development Goal number 3, promoted by the UN, the pharmaceutical company plans to reduce its environmental footprint by a quarter by 2030. And in the longer term, by 2050, the company aims to have an emission-free value chain.
By Daniela González
