00:002024 was the hottest year on record. A new report is sounding the alarm on the rising death toll from climate change and its impact on health.
00:09The medical journal The Lancet says rising temperatures caused by climate change are responsible for over half a million heat-related deaths a year.
00:18That's 23% more than in the 1990s.
00:22Last year, air pollution from wildfire smoke around the world was blamed for a record 154,000 deaths.
00:30The study found that air pollution caused by fossil fuels is responsible for 2.5 million deaths globally every year.
00:38Worldwide, the average person experienced an extra 16 days of health-threatening heat last year.
00:44That's nearly 400% higher than the yearly average between 1985 and 2005.
00:53Well, Marina Romaniello is the executive director of The Lancet Countdown.
00:58Welcome to the program. Good to see you.
01:00This is pretty sobering stuff, and I guess it isn't going to get better any time soon.
01:06Thank you very much for having me.
01:08Yes, as you say, the latest report of The Lancet Countdown has some very sobering finds, very concerning trends.
01:14With the health risks of climate change reaching record new levels.
01:19And what we find particularly concerning is that, despite the body of scientific evidence and the data that shows us how lives and livelihoods are being impacted by climate change already,
01:30we see many political leaders and corporations backsliding on climate commitments, making the future look increasingly difficult in the face of climate change.
01:40What do you want governments to do in the light of your report?
01:44Well, look, our report finds enormous opportunity for health-focused climate action.
01:52It shows clearly how many lives could be saved by shifting away from fossil fuels.
01:57That could save, you mentioned just now, up to 2.5 million lives every year from reduced fossil fuel-derived air pollution,
02:06but also keep the pressures of climate change on our health and on our health systems within manageable levels.
02:13It would also reduce the burden of things like subsidies, which we keep on allocating to very expensive fossil fuels if we could instead transition to clean renewable energy.
02:23So we need governments to really take action, take the problem seriously and act on climate change urgently.
02:29OK, well, we've talked about governments and their responsibility.
02:32Let me ask you about individuals and families.
02:35Is there anything we can do to improve this?
02:41Absolutely.
02:42There's a lot that we could do as individuals.
02:43And the good news is that most of the things that we need individuals to do are also actions that are incredibly good for our health.
02:50For example, choosing healthier diets whenever that is available to us, shifting away from excessive red meat consumption and towards plant-based foods,
03:01that could save up to 11 or 12 million lives every year, obviously within our possibilities.
03:09And we can also choose, for example, healthier forms of transportation.
03:13Getting out of our cars and walking, cycling or taking public transport could do enormous benefits to our health through more physical activity,
03:23but also reduce fossil fuel-based pollution from road transport.
03:27That is one of the biggest responsibilities not only for climate change, but also from air pollution-related disease.
03:34And all of these are actions that we could be taking today and could help enormously tackle this problem.
03:38I'm wondering if richer countries and richer societies are in a better position to deal with this.
03:44You just switch on the air con, don't you?
03:47Well, that is kind of part of the problem, that we've seen some of the richer countries that have more resources to cope with the threats of climate change,
03:57but also are leading the way towards the clean renewable energy transition.
04:01And on the other hand, the most vulnerable countries that are worst affected by climate change have lived resources to recover
04:09and generally are lagging in the adoption of these clean energies, which could be life-saving, could help tackle energy poverty and air pollution.
04:17So we do need global leaders to allocate funds and to support with solidarity and cooperation a just transition,
04:24a transition that truly delivers for the help of people all around the world.
04:27Marina Romanella, it's great to have you on the programme and we really appreciate your time.
04:32Thanks so much for coming on the programme.
04:33Marina Romanella, the Executive Director of The Lancet Countdown.
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