The side event is an undertaking in response to the UN Secretary-General's Call to Action on Extreme Heat, which was also discussed in the Employment WG. Data from the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization estimate that scaling up health warning systems against heat in 57 countries could save nearly 100,000 lives a year.
Protection of the most vulnerable; protection of workers; increasing the resilience of economies and societies; and delivery, by the world's largest economies, of national climate action plans focused on limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. These are the four measures issued at the United Nations (UN) Call to Action on Extreme Heat that were on the agenda today, November 1, at the side event that inaugurated the day of the Ministerial Meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (WG) in Belém, the capital of Pará.
At the launch of the Call in July this year, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, emphasized the urgency of the agenda and called on the G20 countries, in particular, to make this commitment. "We need to fight the disease. Disease is the madness of incinerating our only home. Disease is addiction to fossil fuels. Disease is climate inaction. Leaders at all levels need to wake up and mobilize theirselves. This means governments - especially the G20 countries - and the private sector, cities, and regions. They must act as if our future depends on it - because it does," he said at the time.
Thus, this morning, Ministers Jader Filho of Cities and Waldez Goés of Integration and Regional Development joined representatives of the troika (India and South Africa), representations of the UN, and other international organizations to discuss the theme, focusing on possible solutions to strengthen resilience to heat, identifying priorities in political, financial and technological matters worldwide.
"Brasil is an example of this crisis, in 2023 we are experienced the hottest year ever recorded in the country, with temperatures of 0.69°C above the historical average, influenced by the El Niño phenomenon and climate change. This year, with heat waves in all months and increasingly hot nights, we are highly likely to surpass this average again. We, Amazonians, are living something that we never imagined we would see," said Waldez Goés.
"I wish we could practically apply the ideas of the Paris Convention on Climate Change, as we have seen countries increasingly delaying those decisions year after year. Let us put them into practice, and let us all reflect on the environment, which is not a problem only for Brasil. We will do our part, but we also hope that the other economies can do their part to fulfill what was signed in France and what will be signed here," continued Jader Filho, stressing that "continuing to roll the stone uphill" is not an option.
"The whole world already suffers from severe consequences. In the United States, more than 120 million people are under warning about worsening air quality, which is classified as "very unhealthy." More than 40 million students have been removed from classrooms in regions of Asia and North Africa due to extreme heat waves. The World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization estimate that scaling up health warning systems against heat in 57 countries could save nearly 100,000 lives a year," said Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization.
Pointing the way
Representatives from different countries contributed with examples of nations facing rising temperatures and presented suggestions for international actions. The representation of Portugal, one of the countries that most suffer from heatwaves in Europe, indicated that it already works with heatwave warning systems, contingency plans focusing on the most vulnerable, construction of emergency air-conditioned environments, and implementation of the theme's discussion in schools, China's representation indicated actions concentrate on infrastructure and ecological transition.
The Chinese government suggested creating a Global Climate Adaptation Fund, developing an international platform for sharing knowledge and technologies on the subject, and adopting public campaigns and educational projects.
Call to Action at the G20
In July, the Call to Action was also on the agenda from the perspective of protecting workers as part of the side events of the G20 Employment Ministerial Meeting . The OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) Network, established by the International Labour Organization (ILO), promoted the event. Data from the Organization indicate that if measures are not taken, the world will lose the productivity of 80 million workers due to extreme heat by 2030. A campaign focusing on social dialogue, research, awareness, and international cooperation is underway to address heat stress in the workplace, sector, nationally, and internationally.
