Cape Town - Doctors Without Borders (MSF) responds to urgent medical and humanitarian crises in more than 70 countries. MSF teams are providing medical care to those who are experiencing the health impacts of the climate emergency, many of whom are the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
The organisation is also an official observer at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27), currently on in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The goal of COP27 ranges from a transition towards renewable energy to financial support for vulnerable communities most affected by climate change.
In multiple countries where MSF works, including Mozambique, Somalia, Cameroon, South Sudan, Madagascar, and Pakistan, medical humanitarian teams are responding to medical emergencies that are worsened by climate change.
MSF said it was seeing increased transmission of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and cholera as stagnant water and mosquitoes can fuel the spread of vector-borne and water-borne illnesses. The organisation said it was seeing an increased lack of access to safe drinking water and food insecurity that can lead to malnutrition, and extreme heat exposure that can lead to dehydration and mental health effects.
“Today, needs are already outstripping the response. This is a crisis of solidarity, and it is now giving way to a crisis of morality. The world cannot leave those suffering the most tragic consequences without support,” said Stephen Cornish, director-general of MSF Switzerland.
“Today we are reviewing our operational strategies to strengthen emergency preparedness, adapting our activities to the realities of climate change, which will enable us to continue to provide the best care for our patients and deliver assistance where it is most needed.”
Recognising the need for collective action against climate change, MSF signed the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations and a joint statement with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The charter and joint statement aim to motivate and guide action plans against climate change, especially for the most vulnerable communities.
MSF said only concrete political action to implement solutions to limit climate change can prevent the humanitarian consequences.
Cape Times