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I do thank you for the article (ref: doi: 10:1136/bmj.b3669)
published on 15th/ September, 2009. I sincerely join all global efforts to
support global policies and global interventions discussed at the UN
climate change conference in Copenhagen. Indeed, some parts of the Earth
are getting colder while others become warmer. Undeniably, temperatures
are rising and the weather appears to be increasingly more erratic and
violent in many parts of the world especially in the sub-Saharan Africa
region and there is evidence that climate change must be playing a big
role in this situation.
On the other hand there is no doubt especially in the developing world
that climate changes have impacted on the health of individuals for
example ;we observe that infectious diseases transmitted by insects and
ticks, e.g. tick-borne encephalitis, malaria (vector borne and rodent
borne diseases) are on a rise and persistent in nature.
Whereas adaptation and mitigation are key response strategies to minimize
potential impacts of climate change, and to reduce its effect with the
least cost, the adverse effects on health, there is need for combined
efforts to make this happen at both at national and international levels.
Governments must formulate comprehensive long-term strategies that
are in line with international strategies to be able to minimize the risks
associated with global climate change that requires a combination of
planned adaptation (now and how) and mitigation of climate change
strategies. For this to be effective, international burden-sharing is
needed to distribute the costs of adaptation according to the
vulnerability of countries to climate change. As a way to suggest,
exchange programs for researchers must be encouraged and undertaken to
share this global burden to forge a way forward for the future
generations.
Finally, whereas it seems to be a dream in Sub-Saharan Africa to
reduce carbon dioxide emission by 50% by 2050 owing to the economic status
of these countries in the region, there is need for collaboration in all
sectors, nationally and internationally.
Godfrey Katende
Lecturer, Dept of Nursing,
College of Health Science, Kampala, Uganda
Health and Climate change: Time to act!!
Dear Editor,
I do thank you for the article (ref: doi: 10:1136/bmj.b3669)
published on 15th/ September, 2009. I sincerely join all global efforts to
support global policies and global interventions discussed at the UN
climate change conference in Copenhagen. Indeed, some parts of the Earth
are getting colder while others become warmer. Undeniably, temperatures
are rising and the weather appears to be increasingly more erratic and
violent in many parts of the world especially in the sub-Saharan Africa
region and there is evidence that climate change must be playing a big
role in this situation.
On the other hand there is no doubt especially in the developing world
that climate changes have impacted on the health of individuals for
example ;we observe that infectious diseases transmitted by insects and
ticks, e.g. tick-borne encephalitis, malaria (vector borne and rodent
borne diseases) are on a rise and persistent in nature.
Whereas adaptation and mitigation are key response strategies to minimize
potential impacts of climate change, and to reduce its effect with the
least cost, the adverse effects on health, there is need for combined
efforts to make this happen at both at national and international levels.
Governments must formulate comprehensive long-term strategies that
are in line with international strategies to be able to minimize the risks
associated with global climate change that requires a combination of
planned adaptation (now and how) and mitigation of climate change
strategies. For this to be effective, international burden-sharing is
needed to distribute the costs of adaptation according to the
vulnerability of countries to climate change. As a way to suggest,
exchange programs for researchers must be encouraged and undertaken to
share this global burden to forge a way forward for the future
generations.
Finally, whereas it seems to be a dream in Sub-Saharan Africa to
reduce carbon dioxide emission by 50% by 2050 owing to the economic status
of these countries in the region, there is need for collaboration in all
sectors, nationally and internationally.
Godfrey Katende
Lecturer, Dept of Nursing,
College of Health Science, Kampala, Uganda
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests