Cop27: How climate change is impacting our health
- Published
- comments
Scientists are worried that climate change could be impacting our health through warmer summers and colder winters
Scientists have found that climate change is having a big impact on health all around the world.
Food, disease and heat are the main concerns that people are facing, according to the Lancet Countdown report.
In November, leaders from all over the world will meet in Egypt for Cop27 - a huge conference to discuss how to tackle climate change.
The UN says that world leaders need to make decisions quickly to protect health around the world.
How can climate change impact our health?
Remember the hot summer we had this year? Experts are worried about the dangers of extreme heat
The report says that one of the main issues is extreme weather - like the high temperatures we saw this summer.
Records were broken all over the world, including in the UK where we hit 40C.
Scientists have said high temperatures can lead to breathing issues and heart problems.
High temperatures can also make growing crops very difficult - which means some people might not get the right nutrients from their food.
Burning fossil fuels has also caused air pollution - which can damage our health and cause breathing issues.
Why are scientists worried about rising temperatures?
It's not just humans that scientists are worried about - animals' health is impacted by climate change all over the world
Temperatures around the world have risen by 1.1C.
This might not sound like much - but the earth requires special conditions for life, like plants and animals, to thrive.
When these conditions change it can have a big impact - such as harsher winters and hotter summers.
The world is being warmed up from the burning of fossils fuels like coal, oil and gas
When you burn coal, it releases a gas called carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide travels into the earth's atmosphere, which traps heat in and heats up the planet
You might know this as the greenhouse effect, when the earth's atmosphere traps gasses which are then warmed up by the sun
Is there a solution?
Wind power is a form of renewable energy - which means we can use it over and over again, unlike fossil fuels which can only be used once.
Scientists hope by telling world leaders about the dangers of climate change, they can put support in place for people struggling from poor health.
This could be through funding hospitals and healthcare in the short term.
A longer term solution that researchers have suggested is investing more money in green energy, so impact of climate change does not become as harsh.
The researchers say millions of people could be helped by moving to greener energy sources like wind or solar power.
World leaders at Cop27
Solar panels turn energy from the sun's rays into energy we can use to power our homes!
This is where the upcoming climate change conference - Cop27 - comes into the story.
Leaders of countries all over the world get to make big decisions when it comes to climate change.
They can choose to invest more money in green energy, or put a bigger tax on companies that cause pollution.
In November, world leaders will meet in Egypt to make a plan for tackling climate change.
They discuss plans for the future, and look at how they can limit global temperature rises.
Some people have already sent their messages to world leader - including this swimmer who has taken on a huge challenge to raise awareness about sea pollution!
Challenges for Cop27
Young people have already started to protest, asking world leaders to make some big decisions at Cop27
As well as solutions to world health problems, world leaders have a big list of challenges to get through in their conference.
The BBC's climate expert, Justin Rowlatt, says some leaders might find it difficult to agree with each other.
As energy and gas prices rise across the world, there will be different opinions on how to use funding to look after the planet.
People all over the world will be watching to see what plans are made at Cop27
Other countries have spent billions in offering military support to Ukraine, so might be hesitant when it comes to spending more money.
Justin Rowlatt says by 2020 countries had agreed to have 100 billion dollars a year ready to help developing countries with the cost of climate change - but in 2022 this target still has not been hit.
We will keep you up to date with all the latest ahead of Cop27 on the Newsround website.
- Published9 August 2021
- Published23 September 2019
