News
World Environmental Health Day 2024
5th Jun 24
26 September 2024
World Environmental Health Day
Environmental Health: Creating Resilient Communities through Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Climate Change and disaster risks are fundamental threats to sustainable development, the living and health conditions for all humans on the globe and the reduction of poverty. The negative impacts threaten to roll back decades of development gains. Building resilient and sustainable communities means addressing both climate change and disaster risks, and integrating these risks, as well as potential opportunities, into development planning and budgeting.
Environmental Health is a core discipline – among lots of other important disciplines as a concerted and holistic approach is needed - in getting this done – both before disasters – during disasters and after disasters. Efforts to reduce disaster risks and climate change risks have co-existed for a long time, and in the last two decades, they have increasingly been linked.
Besides combatting Climate Change by reduction in the use of fossil fuels and CO2 emission – driving the climate change- we must strengthen our initiatives in terms of mitigation and adaption – as climate change is already here – and natural hazards driven by climate change increasingly go into full disasters. The needed response to avoid disasters is Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives and planning which include climate change mitigation and adaptation and for future policy action to promote successful coordination to create resilient communities.
The initiatives regarding Disaster Risk Reduction is very much driven by the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Sendai Framework works hand in hand with the other 2030 Agenda agreements, including The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, The Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the New Urban Agenda, and ultimately the Sustainable Development Goals.
Environmental Health plays a critical role in addressing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction to create resilient and sustainable communities. The scope of work carried out by Environmental Health Professionals covers a range of interventions needed to address climate change and disaster risks impacts.
We hope that all IFEH member organisations – associated members – associated academics members - as well as not members of the IFEH – but being Environmental Health related institutions or organisations etc. will use this opportunity – World Environmental Health Day 2024 – to produce initiatives on the topic – or Environmental Health in general.