Europe is warming faster than any other WHO region, and the impact on people’s health is growing more severe. From rising death rates to increasing climate-related anxiety, nearly every health indicator linked to climate has worsened in recent years.
In response, WHO/Europe on Wednesday launched a new initiative – the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health (PECCH) – to tackle the growing threat climate change poses to public health.
Chaired by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakibsdótirr, the commission brings together 11 leading experts from across the region tasked with delivering recommendations for actionable solutions.
Deadly heat
With nearly half of humanity already living in areas highly susceptible to climate change, a third of the world’s heat-related deaths occur in the European Region.
In the years 2022 and 2023 combined, more than 100,000 people across 35 countries in the European Region died due to heat.
“The climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency, it is a growing public health challenge,” said Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
“We must recognise that the interplay among rising temperatures, air pollution and changing ecosystems resulting from human-induced climate change is already affecting the health and well-being of communities around the European Region and the world,” she said.
The commission is being tasked with providing recommendations to reduce emissions, invest in adaptation strategies that protect health, reduce inequality and build resilience.
Escalating threat
The climate crisis disproportionately affects the health of the most vulnerable.
From the spread of infectious diseases to heat-related illness and food insecurity, “climate change poses a serious and escalating threat to human health,” said Andrew Haines, chief advisor to the WHO/Europe climate-health initiative.
More than 30 million people are receiving lifesaving treatment worldwide however, making the UN’s AIDS response a “clear example of a multilateral success,” said Amina Mohammed, UN Under Secretary-General on Thursday, as the General Assembly reviewed progress being made to end AIDS and prevent HIV infections.
‘Series of threats’
“Global commitment is fading. Funding is falling. And HIV services and systems to deliver them are being disrupted,” she said, highlighting the “series of threats” that could undo all the progress achieved in the fight against HIV in past decades.
As funding dwindles, clinics are closing and treatment supplies are diminishing, putting already vulnerable populations such as adolescent girls and young women, at greater risk of contracting the disease.
As funding from PEPFAR – the US programme leading global efforts to combat HIV in Africa – faces the risk of permanent cuts, the UN global programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warns of devastating consequences.
Without continued support, an estimated four million additional AIDS-related deaths and more than six million new infections could occur by 2029.
‘Keep up the fight’
“We cannot let short-term cuts destroy long-term progress,” said Ms. Mohammed. “We need to keep fighting.”
The funding crisis must be urgently addressed. With half of sub-Saharan African countries spending more on debt servicing than on healthcare, Ms. Mohammed stressed the need for debt relief, tax reform, and increased international support.
“Low and middle-income countries need sustainable HIV financing and stronger national leadership in the fight against AIDS,” she said.
She also called for an end to attacks on human rights, warning that punitive laws, vigilante violence, and hate speech against marginalised groups worsen stigma and drive people away from lifesaving services. “Protecting health means protecting human rights,” she said.
Many community-led organizations are now being defunded and dismantled, just when their work is needed most. Ms. Mohammed urged the UN and its partners to support these groups and their vital contributions.
“The end of AIDS is not a mystery,” she said, adding that while eliminating the disease by 2030 is still achievable, “success is not guaranteed.”
The diplomats were gunned down on Wednesday night as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in central Washington DC, where the American Jewish Committee was hosting a reception.
They were identified as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who were about to be engaged, according to officials and family members. A suspect was taken into custody.
Justice and sympathy
“The Secretary-General reiterates his consistent condemnation of attacks against diplomatic officials,” the statement said.
He called for the perpetrator to be brought to justice and extended his sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the Government of Israel.
The lone suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, was apprehended shortly after the murders.
He shouted pro-Palestinian slogans while in custody, according to media reports.
A ‘heinous antisemitic act’
The head of a UN platform that promotes intercultural dialogue and understanding also voiced his strong condemnation.
“This heinous antisemitic act is unacceptable and unjustifiable. My thoughts go to their families, their colleagues, and the State of Israel,” said Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
Virginia Gamba, Acting UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, called for an end to antisemitism saying “there is no place in the world where such a horrific antisemitic hate crime as the murders of Mr. Yaron Lischinsky and Miss Sarah Milgrim can be justified.”
Senior politicians from across the world have also expressed their condemnation.
The killings occurred against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023 following Hamas-led attacks on Israel which left roughly 1,200 people dead while another 250 were taken hostage. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the health authorities.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar described the attack as “the direct consequence of the virulent and toxic antisemitic rhetoric against Israel and Jewish communities around the world that has been going on since October 7.”
‘An unbearable loss’
Mr. Lischinsky was a research assistant in the political department at the Israeli Embassy in Washington while Ms. Milgrim organized trips to Israel, according to media reports.
They were killed after attending the American Jewish Committee’s annual Young Diplomats reception which this year focused on response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
The Spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Tal Naim, described their deaths as “an unbearable loss.”
She tweeted a photo of the couple below a message which said that “instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves.”
One of the most serious threats to wildlife biodiversity, in addition to the climate crisis, is the illegal killing and trafficking of animals and plants. Despite many laws against the black-market wildlife trade, it is considered to be one of the most lucrative illicit industries in the world.
Animals, especially endangered and threatened species, are often exploited and sold for their pelts or used as medicine, aphrodisiacs, curios, food and spiritual artifacts.
In a new study published in Global Change Biology, Arizona State University researchers estimate that more than 1.1 million sea turtles have been illegally killed and, in some cases, trafficked between 1990 and 2020. Even with existing laws prohibiting their capture and use, as many as 44,000 sea turtles were exploited each year over the past decade in 65 countries or territories and in 44 of the world’s 58 major sea turtle populations.
Hawksbills turtle/Photo:en.wikipedia.org
Despite the seemingly large number of poached turtles, the study shows that the reported illegal exploitation of sea turtles declined by approximately 28% over the last decade —something that surprised the researchers. They initially expected to see an overall increase in reported poaching.
“The decline over the past decade could be due to increased protective legislation and enhanced conservation efforts, coupled with an increase in awareness of the problem or changing local norms and traditions,” says Kayla Burgher, co-first author of the study and a doctoral student in ASU’s environmental life sciences program in the School of Life Sciences.
In addition to the slight decline, the researchers found that most of the reported illegal exploitation over the past decade occurred in large, stable and genetically diverse sea turtle populations.
Jesse Senko, co-first author of the study and an assistant research professor with the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society says this discovery may be a silver lining to the high number of turtles illegally exploited. “What this means is that most of these sea turtles came from healthy, low-risk populations, which suggests that, with a few exceptions, current levels of illegal exploitation are likely not having a major detrimental impact on most major sea turtle populations throughout the world’s oceans.”
Sea turtle/Photo:en.wikipedia.org
Our assessment also did not include eggs or turtle products, such as bracelets or earrings made from sea turtle shells that could not be easily attributed to individual turtles,” says Senko.
The study revealed additional patterns and trends that may assist in determining conservation management priorities. For example, Vietnam was the most common country of origin for illegal sea turtle trafficking, while China and Japan served as destinations for nearly all trafficked sea turtle products. Similarly, Vietnam to China was the most common trade route across all three decades.
Across the 30-year study period, 95% of poached sea turtles came from two species — green and hawksbill turtles — both of which are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Also, Southeast Asia and Madagascar emerged as major hotspots for illegal sea turtle take and trade, particularly for critically endangered hawksbills, which are prized in the illicit wildlife trade for their beautiful shells.
“Our assessment is an important foundation for future research and outreach efforts regarding illegal sea turtle exploitation. We believe this study can help conservation practitioners and legislators prioritize conservation efforts and allocate their resources to best help protect sea turtle populations from harmful levels of exploitation worldwide,” says Burgher.
“Increased support for governments lacking the resources to protect sea turtles is needed, along with support for communities to sustain human well-being in the face of restrictions or bans on sea turtle exploitation. We must develop conservation strategies that benefit both people and turtles,” says Senko.
