A new report released on Saturday by Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI), a climate risk analyst has warned that at a total of 16,245 hospitals, twice as many as are currently at high risk, will be in this category by the end of the century without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.
The report-published before health day at the Cop28 UN climate conference, being held in Dubai- adds that a residential or commercial building with this level of risk would be considered uninsurable.
Countries are expected to discuss how to mitigate the health impacts of climate breakdown, which include the spread of disease and the effects of extreme weather events.
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“Climate change is increasingly impacting the health of people around the world,” said Dr Karl Mallon, director of science and technology at XDI. “What happens when severe weather results in hospital shutdowns as well? Our analysis shows that without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, the risks to global health will be exacerbated further, as thousands of hospitals become unable to deliver services during crises.”
Although some of the hospitals can be adapted to face the effects of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, severe storms, flooding and forest fires, many will have to be moved at great expense, according to the report.
As with many of the impacts of climate breakdown, this will mostly affect lower- and middle-income countries, where 71% (11,512) of the hospitals at risk by the end of the century are located.
Currently, south-east Asia has the highest percentage of hospitals at high risk of damage from extreme weather events. It faces risks in the future too – with high emissions, almost one in five hospitals (18.4%) in the region could totally or partially shut down by the end of the century.
Prof Nick Watts, who is the director of the Centre for Sustainable Medicine at the National University of Singapore, said: “It is clear that climate change threatens to undermine the stability of the health systems our patients and communities depend on. Whether it results in the closing of health facilities, or a clinic becoming overwhelmed with rising burdens of disease, the human consequences are dire.”
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
