Acta Médica Portuguesa, setembro 2024
Editorial: Climate Change, the Environment, and Health: A Call to Action
In 2021, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) defined the concept of One Health as an integrated and unifying approach that recognizes the close interconnection and interdependence of human, animal, plant, and environmental health.
Following this vision, on July 28, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly recognized a new human right: a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. However, this right increasingly seems utopian. There is substantial evidence that climate change and ecosystem degradation are progressing according to the most pessimistic scenarios and significantly impacting public health. The influence of environmental determinants on health may be the greatest future challenge for healthcare systems. Conversely, it is known that the healthcare sector — indispensable for addressing the ongoing epidemiological transition and the heightened risk of climate disasters — also contributes to a large carbon footprint, accounting for 4.8% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Portugal, a percentage higher than the European average.3 Over 168 million trees would need to be planted to absorb this amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.