MANILA - The World Health Organization on Thursday warned against climate change, calling it a "silent killer" causing the deaths of an estimated 13 million people around the world every year.

“Unlike COVID-19, which was a loud killer, climate change continues to kill silently. We may not even realize that the rise in dengue, or diarrhea or typhoons, they may be a killer too. But we don’t associate it with climate change. That’s the sad part. Because we continue to neglect our climate and our planet,” WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rajendra Yadav said at the World Health Day 2022 virtual forum.

Yadav explained that while COVID-19 could be put under control in the coming months, the problem of climate change has been around for years.

"Unless we do something, we’ll reach a tipping point where they may be no return," he said. "The planet will only get worse and hotter and more violent in terms of typhoons, and floods and cyclones and everything and also worsening of diseases and mental health related to this and loss of agriculture, livelihoods, everything."

Yadav urged governments globally to stop fossil fuel subsidies, tax polluters, and invest in renewable energy and public health. He noted that 9 out of 10 people in the world breathed polluted air.

He also called for higher taxes on tobacco and highly-processed foods and the use of the proceeds to improve public health.

To also help reduce carbon footprints, Yadav urged corporations to support teleworking in non-frontline jobs, and individuals to demand climate actions from the government.

In the same event, Philippine Health Secretary Dr. Francisco Duque III assured the public that the DOH is transitioning to more “green” health facilities.

He added that the Philippines was committed to the WHO global strategy on climate change and the environment.

“Our health depends on the health of our planet. No one in this world can actually be healthy if our planet is not,” he said.

“Universal health care is not possible without equitable environments for health, which could only be achieved if each and everyone on this planet will walk the path to transformation through our way of living, working, producing, consuming and governing,” Duque added.

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