Climate crisis should be declared a global health emergency

International experts have made an urgent appeal to the World Health Organization (WHO), calling for the climate crisis to be declared a "global public health emergency" just as it was done with the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts issued a stark warning that without such a step, millions of people could lose their lives from preventable causes.

According to experts, climate change directly threatens public health, food security, and access to clean water sources through extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and changing precipitation patterns. The majority of these threats are assessed to be preventable through coordinated and resolute international intervention.

Experts emphasized that the activation of the WHO's emergency declaration mechanism could accelerate resource allocation, policy development, and global cooperation. The appeal underscores the need to address the climate crisis not merely as an environmental issue, but as a matter of urgent public health requiring immediate intervention.