As Nigeria faces worsening non-communicable diseases burden resulting from environmental crisis, stakeholders have stressed the need for climate friendly policies.
The 2022 World Health Day, themed: “Our planet, Our health” draws attention to the link between the planet and human health, as the burden of non-communicable and infectious diseases rise alongside growing incidence of climate-related challenges.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says climate change is already impacting health in a myriad of ways, including by leading to death and illness from increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent and severe extreme weather conditions.
The global health body estimates that more than 13 million annual deaths globally are due to avoidable environmental causes, including the climate crisis.
The organisation worry that climate change is undermining many of the social determinants for good health, such as livelihoods, equality and access to health care and social support structures.
