Following two days of back-to-back statements from world leaders, the COP28 climate summit shifted its focus on Sunday to the reality of climate change fuelling more sickness and disease. It will be the first time that public health will be included on the agenda of the annual UN talks.
Malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress are all on the rise, threatening to strain the already-stretched healthcare system. Countries and corporations alike are looking for new solutions to safeguard people as temperatures continue to rise for decades.
The health-themed day will have a star-studded lineup of speakers, including Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, who is set to join the UAE in launching a climate health programme.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also pay a visit to the COP28 complex, where over 70,000 people from all over the world have assembled for the two-week summit.
Clinton was scheduled to speak at an event on women and climate change.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work to raise public awareness about global warming, will also speak during COP28.
On Saturday, current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris sought to promote Washington’s global climate leadership, declaring that the United States has returned to being a global leader in the fight against the climate crisis.
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