A group of respiratory experts has warned that those suffering from lung problems are among the most vulnerable to the risks posed by climate change.
The experts are calling for urgent action to combat climate change and reduce air pollution.
The research group stated that rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, increased pollen and other allergens, wildfires, dust storms, and fossil fuel-dependent traffic all exacerbate existing respiratory diseases and may even lead to the emergence of new ones.
The researchers added that the impact of climate change on the planet and human health is now “inescapable.”
Estimates suggest that air pollution was responsible for the deaths of 6.7 million people worldwide in 2019, including 373,000 in Europe, as emissions linked to both climate change and air pollution were often a common element in various causes of mortality.
The study’s authors called on the European Union to lower air pollution safety limits in line with World Health Organization guidelines.
Professor Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, one of the study’s authors from the University of Copenhagen, stated that “climate change affects everyone’s health, but it can be said that those with respiratory diseases are among the most vulnerable.”
