Ogea Students [File Photo]

A study carried out on health and climate change in Small Island Developing States shows that lack of climate action is endangering lives and livelihoods of people despite island states spearheading international attention on climate and health.

This has been revealed in the 2024 Report of the Lancet Countdown Small Island Developing States: On the frontline of health impacts, spearheading the call for action’

The report reveals that SIDS are bearing the brunt of climate impacts from rising emissions, with their survival at stake.

In addition to being a direct health threat, heat is increasing economic pressures for island states with more than 4•4 billion potential labour hours lost in 2023.

The report reveals that health systems are not climate-ready, exacerbating the risk of climate change overwhelming health-care systems, especially given the increased risk for non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and mental health disorders associated with climate change.

It states that heat has become one of the most prominent threats endangering the health of people in these areas.

During the record-breaking summer heat of 2023, infants aged one year and younger experienced 48 times more heatwave days than the average in 2000–04 and older adults aged 65 and over experienced 36 times more heatwave days.

The report also reveals that more than a million people across SIDS are living in coastal areas that lie less than one meter above current sea level, and increasingly facing the threat of displacement due to rising sea levels.

Amidst record-high sea surface temperature in 2023, continued destabilization of the marine environment threatens all aspects of life for these countries, particularly Pacific island countries with high fish consumption.

The report states that compared with the period 1981 and 2010, an additional 2.6 million people reported moderate or severe food insecurity as a consequence of drought and heatwave days in 2022, with rising sea surface temperatures continuing to threaten marine food security.

SIDS are also experiencing growing climatic risk for the transmission of infectious diseases.

It states that altered temperature, rainfall, and humidity combinations across all SIDS have resulted in a 33 percent increase in the transmission potential for dengue compared with the 1950s, in line with the sharp growth in outbreak frequency observed since at least 2019.

The length of coastline suitable for Vibrio transmission increased by 27 percent on average between 1982 and 1990 and 2011 to 2022, across 11 small island developing states.

Vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in certain coastal waters and are found in higher numbers in May through October, when water temperatures are warmer.

The report states that SIDS are at a critical stage and vulnerabilities to climatic and external shocks have been regionally and internationally acknowledged but effective action is yet to be taken.