Manila, Philippines — As health and environment leaders meet this week in Manila for the World Health Organization’s Asia Pacific Regional Forum on Environment and Health (4th Regional Forum), Health Care Without Harm Asia urges governments of Southeast and East Asian countries to protect public health from climate change and to invest in building low carbon and climate-resilient health facilities.
Health care should be prepared for climate change
Many countries in the region, including the Philippines, are some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The British medical journal The Lancet has referred to climate change as the “biggest global health threat of the 21st century,” from extreme weather events, changes in patterns of diseases, increase in vector-borne diseases, and water and food insecurity affecting people’s health and well-being.
“Considering the climate change’s major impacts on people’s health, health care needs to help lead the efforts to address this, one of the greatest problems of our time. Our hospitals need to be the last buildings standing in an extreme weather event; our health systems must adapt to the shifting burden of disease; and we must reduce our own carbon footprint, which is quite large in some countries,” explained HCWH International Director of Program and Strategy, Josh Karliner, who will be presenting on green, low-carbon, climate-resilient health care during the pre-forum.
“Similar to other parts of the world, in the Philippines we witnessed how in 2013,Typhoon Haiyan decimated unprepared hospitals and health centers. In the future, health care needs to be in the forefront of the response.”
Pushing for low-carbon health care
Low-carbon health care includes investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, low-carbon approaches in building design and construction, sustainable policies on waste management, procurement, and transportation, and resilience strategies to withstand extreme weather events.
“Hospitals and health systems that consume loads of energy can save money and reduce their footprint by implementing low carbon health care development strategies,“ added Karliner. “A low carbon health care approach is also ideal for many developing countries because renewables such as solar and wind can help power health facilities where otherwise there is no reliable energy source.”
Low-carbon health care strategies can also help advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals from Health and Wellbeing and Climate Action, to Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, among others.
Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals
The outcome of the 4th Regional Forum will include an implementation plan that will be adopted by participating countries to fast-track the implementation of actions to improve public health and the environment in relation to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia, all members of the Regional Forum, are also some of the world’s top carbon emitters. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam are some of the most affected by climate change according to the Global Climate Risk Index.
“The 4th Regional Forum is a great opportunity for the Philippines to assert its role on climate and health issues,” expressed HCWH Asia Director Ramon San Pascual. “It’s time for us to view climate change as a public health emergency. Aside from urging our governments to accelerate actions related to the impacts of environmental issues on public health, we enjoin the health sector to take on a leadership role in protecting our people’s health from climate change.”