The Lancet
Climate love
Climate love
Markus Lutteman
4 w
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Telling it like it is
Some paragraphs are so horrifying that I wish I was reading a work of dark science fiction. But I am not. I am reading the new report Lancet Countdown on health and climate change.

The new study offers some of the most up-to-date global data on drought, marking just how fast it is accelerating. In the 1980s, on average 5% of the world experienced extreme drought for three months or longer. Last year, this number was 30%

If you shorten the measuring period to one month, 48% of the Earth’s land surface suffered from extreme drought last year. It is also worth noticing that the threshold for extreme drought is reached after six months of very low rainfall or very high levels of evaporation from plants and soil – or both – which means the period of suffering extends far beyond these times of extreme drought.

And here’s the big paradox. At the same time as large sections of the land mass have been drying out, extreme rainfall has also increased. In the past 10 years, 61% of the world saw an increase in extreme rainfall, when compared with a baseline average from 1961-1990.

According to the Lancet Countdown report, the health impacts of climate change are reaching record-breaking levels. A few examples:
• Drought exposed 151 million more people to food insecurity last year, compared with the 1990s, which has contributed to malnutrition.
• Heat-related deaths for over 65s also increased by 167% compared to the 1990s.
• An increase in dust storms has left millions more people exposed to dangerous air pollution.
• Rising temperatures and more rain are causing an increase in mosquito-related viruses.
• Cases of dengue fever are at an all-time high and dengue, malaria and West Nile virus have spread to places they were never found before.

The report concludes that governments and companies continue to fuel the fire. Financial resources continue to be allocated to activities that harm health and hinder the transition to a healthy future. New records in fossil fuel-related emissions, promoted by persistent investments in fossil fuels, are reducing our chances of survival. With the most disadvantaged worst affected, health inequities are growing.Â

The report states: ”Following decades of delays, avoiding the most severe health impacts of climate change now requires aligned, structural, and sustained changes across our energy, transportation, agriculture, food, and healthcare systems. Importantly, it requires a global transformation of global finance, shifting resources away from the fossil fuel-based economy, towards a health-supporting, zero-emissions future.”


Read the full report here:
2024 Report - Lancet Countdown
https://lancetcountdown.org/2024-report/





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Thanks
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4 w
This is actually amazing... Lancet is stepping out as a bold publisher that is will to tell it as it is and it is encouraging especially during this era of misinformation on matters of climate change... Keep telling it as it is @Lancet
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4 w
In this age of misinformation, it is good to see a publisher actually telling it like it is. Now it's up to us to stop the rot and ensure the planet survives the climate onslaught.
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3 w
@munene_mugambi I totally agree with you.
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4 w
Es ist nun nicht mehr ĂĽberraschend fĂĽr mich, aber dennoch sehr sehr deprimierend!
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4 w
Chilling... and what we are seeing happening in Valencia right now is heartbreaking, and only the start
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4 w
@sarah_chabane_874 I agree, so we need to demand action from our supposed leadership and if they act not, we take action ourselves. It is vital to act now!!
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Dear Markus Lutteman Your climate love has received over 50 agrees! We have reached out to The Lancet by email and requested a response. I will keep you updated on any progress! To reach more people and increase the chance of a response, click the Share button above to share the review on your social accounts. For every new member that joins We Don't Have Time from your network, we will plant a tree and attribute it to you! /Adam, We Don't Have Time
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4 w
It is an eye-opener on alarming realities that demand urgent attention. It's a stark reminder of the pressing need to address the intersection of health and climate with their impact on communities worldwide.
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4 w
@walter_lungayi Especially on matters of community health. When the environmental health deteriorates, so does the community's livelihood and health. We have to protect one for the sake of both.
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4 w
We would all wish that this was just a fairly tale, unfortunately its the reality we are experiencing on the ground. I wish those responsible back in the 1980s took the climate change matter seriously. Now one can't be sure if we will make to combat the 1.5.
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4 w
@tabitha_kimani well said... And it is important to note that if we don't act now we have future
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4 w
Gratitude for sharing the report. Actually , as a senior climate scientist phrased " dry days are becoming drier and wet days are becoming wetter," and both are happening simultaneously. This apparently sounds like a paradox.
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4 w
The issue of climate change needs fast intervention
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4 w
@annett_michuki the intervention needed was to happen ages ago... If we don't act fast we are doomed
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4 w
This is a clear indication that we need to act sooner and deal with the issue of climate change before it gets more severe.
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4 w
@jane_wangui its already bad and if we get over the tipping point .. there is no comeback
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4 w
The compact liberal truth as it is ! Lancet has done amazing work in highlighting the countdown on health and climate change.
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4 w
@Kevin with such info now the people will make the right choices to curb the situation...
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4 w
Reading this feels like a wake-up call that should've come decades ago
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@dickson_mutai i agree... The Lancet are doing a great job that should be emulated by other media houses... Telling people the truth
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Thank you, Lancet, for spotlighting the urgent intersection between climate and health. Your work in the Countdown on Health and Climate Change it’s a critical call to action. The future we feared is unfolding in real time.
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@princess_nel_268 the truth is frightening but it is necessary... We appreciate the actions of Lancet and their commitment to tell the truth