46 million health professionals around the world sign a letter to demand the abandonment of fossil fuels

More than 46.3 million health professionals signed a letter this Wednesday, addressed to the president of COP28, Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, to ask him to ensure that the negotiations result in a “acceleration of deletion“fossil fuels,”decisive for the health of all“. The United Nations climate conference is being held from November 30 to December 12 in the United Arab Emirates and for the first time an entire day will be dedicated to health.

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“Ending our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels will improve the health of future generations and save lives“, we can read in this letter, notably signed by the World Medical Association, the World Federation of Public Health Associations and the International Council of Nurses.

They cite the already visible consequences of pollution on health: heat stress, malnutrition, anxiety, or even respiratory diseases due to air pollution. Air pollution is responsible for 7 million premature deaths per year worldwide, the letter recalls, using a figure from the World Health Organization. “A complete and rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is the best way to provide the clean water, air and environment essential for good health“, insist the authors, while asking for a transition “just and equitable“towards other sources of energy.

The signatory health professionals call for “invest quickly in clean energy technologies“They also demand the exclusion of representatives of the fossil fuel industry from climate negotiations.