Praying for COP28 - Health/ Relief/Recovery & Peace

COP28 - 3 December 2023
Health/Relief/Recovery & Peace

Today is the first day of ‘COP28 proper’, with a specific agenda for the delegates to discuss. Today’s topic is health. “COP28 will host the first Health Day and climate-health ministerial that aims to build consensus on priority actions for the health system's response to climate change, paired with financing commitments for implementation”.

Climate change has been labelled as the greatest public health risk of the 21st century. Several health risks are anticipated from climate change. These include increases of vector-borne and diarrhoeal diseases. There are also changes in the geographic range of infectious diseases. This means a spread into new regions, the emergence of new infectious diseases and re-emergence of old ones. An increase in the intensity of infectious diseases in already endemic regions is also expected.

Climate change impacts human health in both direct and indirect ways (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences). As in so many areas of climate change, health impacts are disproportionately felt by the poorest people, those who have contributed least to climate change.

Climate change is also undermining many of the social determinants for good health, such as livelihoods, equality and access to health care and social support structures. These climate-sensitive health risks are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including women, children, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants or displaced persons, older populations, and those with underlying health conditions.

A short prayer

Almighty God, you are the ultimate source of health and healing. We thank you that with you all things are possible. We pray for the scientists and innovators who are working on solutions that will positively impact on people’s health. We ask that these become available to those most in need. We ask for an increase in the capacities of countries public health systems in order to respond to public health threats. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

A longer prayer

Father God we thank you for the creative and curious minds that you have given to people. Thank you for the potential of an affordable vaccine that could eradicate malaria and for other interventions that can directly improve the health of the poorest people across the world.

We pray for the work being done to reduce the negative impact of climate change on health. We pray for global solutions to common problems like antimicrobial resistance and food poisoning. We pray for innovative approaches that can easily and quickly be scaled up and become commercially available. We pray for implementation and the infrastructure to support change. We ask that you equip planners so they can put in place flexible health systems and an increase in resilience capacity especially in primary health care systems. We particularly pray for sub-Saharan Africa which accounts for half of the total of the 300 million people that need to gain access to cleaner cooking. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen

From the Bible

Jeremiah 30: 17

Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

James 1: 17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Issues

Direct impact with extreme heat waves, rising sea level, changes in precipitation resulting in flooding and droughts, and intense hurricanes can directly cause injury, illness, and even death
Indirectly, through alterations to the environment. For example, worsening air pollution levels can have negative impacts on respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Changes in temperature and rainfall can alter the survival, distribution, and behaviour of insects and other species that can lead to changes in infectious diseases
Increases in rain, storm surge, and sea temperature can lead to more water-related illnesses
Climate change can also affect food safety, exposing people to contaminated foods that can result in foodborne illnesses
In addition, climate change can affect mental health and well-being

From WHO

Hope

With the warming of some parts of the world, diseases and insects are migrating. Malaria may become a threat in new places; the other impacts of climate change may make health more fragile in places already effected by malaria. The World Health Organization has approved a new vaccine which could eradicate malaria by 2040. Trials have shown that the R21/Matrix vaccine, developed by Oxford University together with the Serum Institute of India, reduces malaria by up to 75%. It can be manufactured cheaply and on a mass scale. Read about its development
Cooking over open fires is still very common in the Global South and is a major contributor to emissions of CO2 as well as to air pollution with its health impacts. Clean cooking remains the most underfunded health and environmental challenge in the world. Clean cooking is one of the most immediate and cost-effective solutions available to address the triple-planetary crisis of climate change, nature-loss, and pollution. A project in Kenya supplied 500 women with improved stoves and planted trees

COP28 discussions

COP28 today includes the following fora and discussion groups:

Toward climate resilient & sustainable health systems in the MENA (Middle East, North Africa) region.
Climate-Health solutions showcase.
Climate-health Ministerial.
Accelerating Climate Action to Countries Communities facing multifaceted crisis.
Protecting & promoting health in climate-crisis settings.
Mental health & climate change.
Health adaptation & resilience.

Find out more

COP28 details for health theme.

COP28 - 3 December 2023Health/Relief/Recovery & Peace