"The social struggle for climate is unstoppable"

Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment and Health of the World Health Organitzación visited CREAL to offer the session "Post-Copenhagen: Current climate change agenda and health". Following this visit, the scientific journalist Joaquim Elcacho underwent an interview that you can read below.

In December, held in Copenhagen the Fifteenth International Conference Framework Convention on Climate Change. Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Health and Environment of the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday gave Barcelona a scientific meeting in which he evaluated the results of this summit and gave an overview of the challenges related climate change to human health. The conference was organized by the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology and held at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park.

Does the relative failure of the conference in Copenhagen is the failure of the global fight against climate change?
Maybe we can say that the Copenhagen summit in December was a political failure in the sense that governments have lost a historic opportunity to sign a new agreement on climate change, but we can not say that we are facing a failure of society. Never in recent history have been two whole weeks, almost three, and from all corners of the world's outstanding problems in climate. From the Copenhagen conference, the society has understood that this is a momentous problem and it is clear that this awareness is not reversed. Regardless of political arrangements that can achieve the social movement to combat climate change is now more unstoppable than ever.

After Copenhagen, the next international conference on climate is scheduled for later this year in Cancun, Mexico. ¿The company will enough political pressure to reach agreement at this meeting?
I think a part of this social pressure we can create ourselves from the health sector. If we can explain better than combating climate change fight for public health, and if we understand that cases of asthma or chronic respiratory diseases can be viewed seriously aggravated by climate change, much to help accelerate rating agenda for an international agreement.

Are there more examples of the relationship between climate change and health?
The issues are related to weather many diseases. For example, we are concerned about the spread of mosquitoes as causing malaria or dengue, which find more favorable conditions to expand. We are concerned about sudden changes of weather, causing floods or droughts and famine caused by migration and health impact. Moreover, and putting this issue positively, we believe that combating climate change is not only avoid the spread of disease, but is promoting health in the whole world. In countries like ours, stop the pollution associated with climate change [emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide] also represent an important improvement in the health of people.

Does climate change can trigger diseases in countries like ours?
If we talk about malaria or dengue, it is clear that the new climatic conditions may extend the habitats of transmitting mosquitoes. Remember that in Sicily there was a hundred years ago malaria. In highland areas of Kenya so far there we saw the malaria mosquito, but the rising temperatures which is facilitating it extends. But we stress that in developed countries we are fortunate to have health systems that would stop the spread of diseases like malaria. But, I repeat, the problem of climate change will lead not only the extent of tropical diseases: combating climate change is to combat the pollution that is causing disease in our cities.
It is a cliché to remember that climate change is a problem that basically we have created the rich countries and that mainly affect the poorest countries and people.
This is one of the reasons that make the work of WHO is committed to combating climate change: the most vulnerable people are most affected by a problem they have created basically the richest societies. We are also very concerned about the health systems of poorer countries who are ready to help themselves collapse and now affected by a crisis added. Climate change is aggravating the flooding or drought, causing famine, and this is one of the causes of increased disease. This is a global issue that affects us all and that influences the development of the whole society.

Besides the problem of climate change in recent months, WHO has been busy with pandemic flu. ¿They are right to accuse the World Health Organization exaggerate or create undue alarm?
Everyone must have heard our Secretary General, Dr Margaret Chan, and the committee of experts who believe that we are still not able to terminate the phase of pandemic flu for. Always leaves open the possibility of analyzing all actions and draw lessons from what has been done, but experts are emphasizing that we are still in a pandemic situation.

But there has been criticism of his organization for the declaration of the pandemic and by an excessive alarm. Even the WHO has been accused of letting yourself or push to encourage pharmaceutical companies directly.
I made many tests and, over time, we are able to do more thorough analysis of what happened during these months. But I am personally convinced, and I like the more than 2,000 people work at WHO, the pharmaceutical industry has no ability to influence this organization like ours, that is democratic and based on science. The WHO has a hierarchy, but, basically, science commanded much. Everything can be discussed and accept criticism, but an entity in a transparent and science-based as ours is impossible to have a conflict of interest as a hint that the pharmaceutical industries. There is no room for thinking that there has been managing commercial interests behind the pandemic.