WHO - Uniting for Health and Climate Action - Add Your Voice !
The year 2023 has been marked by a surge in climate catastrophes. Wildfires, heatwaves and droughts are displacing people, killing crops and livestock, and worsening air pollution. A boiling world is increasing the likelihood and spread of killer diseases like cholera, malaria and dengue.
As stated by Dr Tedros: "Addiction to fossil fuels is not just an act of environmental vandalism. From the health perspective, it is an act of self-sabotage."
A COP28 Climate and Health Declaration will be delivered by health ministers and governments gathered in Dubai in December 2023.
WHO urges health professionals, groups and individuals to unite in a call for world leaders to meet the commitments they have already made, and to raise their ambition for a healthier, fairer and greener future:
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deliver on the Paris Agreement and accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels to safeguard a liveable future for humanity and save a million lives a year from air pollution;
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build climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems as “no regrets” protection for current and future lives; and
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deliver on promises of US$ 100 billion a year in climate finance, and spend this on saving lives and improving the health of the most vulnerable.
Meeting these goals will require action from heads of government, ministers of health, political and business leaders across energy, food, transport and urban sectors, and from communities and individuals.
Health workers are dedicated, professional and highly trusted in their communities. They have a unique voice to speak on behalf of the people they care for and unite behind this call for action to tackle both the climate crisis and the health crisis it is driving.
ADD YOUR VOICE TODAY!
→ https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/call-for-climate-action
direct way to signature page → https://extranet.who.int/dataformv3/index.php/621941?newtest=Y&lang=en
State of Global Air - Health Effects Institute https://www.healtheffects.org/ > https://www.stateofglobalair.org/
Cardiovascular Research 11. August 2025 - Thomas Münzel, Mette Sørensen, Jos Lelieveld, Philip J Landrigan, Marin Kuntic, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark R Miller, Alexandra Schneider, Andreas Daiber, A comprehensive review/expert statement on environmental risk factors of cardiovascular disease, Cardiovascular Research, Volume 121, Issue 11, September 2025, Pages 1653–1678, https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaf119
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality globally, with over 20 million deaths each year. While traditional risk factors—such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and poor diet—are well-established,
emerging evidence underscores the profound impact of environmental exposures on cardiovascular health. Air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), contributes to approximately 8.3 million deaths annually, with over half attributed to CVD. Similarly, noise pollution, heat extremes, toxic chemicals, and light pollution significantly increase the risk of CVD through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammation, and circadian disruption.
Recent translational and epidemiological studies show that chronic exposure to transport noise increases the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. Air pollution, even below regulatory thresholds, promotes atherosclerosis, vascular dysfunction, and cardiac events. Novel threats such as micro- and nano-plastics are emerging as contributors to vascular injury and systemic inflammation.
Climate change exacerbates these risks, with heatwaves and wildfires further compounding the cardiovascular burden, especially among vulnerable populations.
The cumulative effects of these exposures—often interacting with behavioural and socioeconomic risk factors—are inadequately addressed in current prevention strategies. The exposome framework offers a comprehensive approach to integrating lifelong environmental exposures into cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention. Mitigation requires systemic interventions including stricter pollution standards, noise regulations, sustainable urban design, and green infrastructure. Addressing environmental determinants of CVD is essential for reducing the global disease burden.
This review calls for urgent policy action and for integrating environmental health into clinical practice to safeguard cardiovascular health in the Anthropocene.
Updates
22.1.2026 Dt. Ärzteblatt. Internationale Kardiologenverbände sehen Herzgesundheit durch Umweltstressoren bedroht:
"Umweltstressoren wie Luft- und Lärmverschmutzung, eine Kontamination durch Chemikalien und Plastik sowie klimabedingte Gefahren tragen nach Einschätzung führender kardiologischer Fachverbände zu 4-6 Millionen Todesfällen durch Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen bei.
Die European Society of Cardiology (2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2026.01.015) fordert deshalb in einem Positionspapier zusammen mit dem American College of Cardiology, der American Heart Association und der World Heart Federation (2026; DOI: 10.5334/gh.1514) dringende Maßnahmen zur Bekämpfung von Umweltstressoren als einem wichtigen Verursacher von Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen.." https://www.aerzteblatt.de/news/internationale-kardiologenverbande-sehen-herzgesundheit-durch-umweltstressoren-bedroht-3f6ceb1e-1551-4e47-be49-be389d481693