Climate change as much of an emergency as Covid and deaths 'should be tracked daily', says report

Climate change is as much of an emergency as the Covid-19 pandemic and should be treated in the same way, says a report.

Governments should put out daily figures on how many deaths are being caused by adverse weather just like with Covid, researchers said.

The Glasgow Caledonian University study says that climate change, 'despite ultimately being more deadly than the virus', has 'failed to elicit the same level of urgency' among governments and civil society.

Climate change is as much of an emergency as the Covid-19 pandemic and should be treated in the same way, says a report  (factory in Texas pictured)

Researchers said there is a need to integrate Covid-19 recovery with climate action.

The research consortium included the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and academic partners in Africa.

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Dr Mithika Mwenda, executive director of PACJA, said: ‘We are now past the point where we can address the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate emergency as separate crises.

‘This report shows that the pandemic has not only forestalled urgently needed action to halt and begin reversing global warming, but it has also worsened existing vulnerabilities to climate change, weakened the adaptive capacities of communities and countries, especially in Africa, and raised the cost of future climate action.’

Governments should put out daily figures on how many deaths are being caused by adverse weather just like with Covid, researchers said (pictured: dried up municipal dam in drought-stricken Graaff-Reinet, South Africa, in November 2019)

The research comes after a parliamentary report warned of a 'backlash' if the Government does not win over the public's trust for bringing in radical measures such as a ban on new gas boilers, petrol and diesel cars, eating less meat and reducing car journeys.

Failure to get the public on board about the need for measures to curb global warming could lead to unrest, said the Commons business committee.  

The number of 'extremely hot days' each year in the UK could rise four-fold from ten to 37 if global warming is not curbed, the Met Office warned yesterday.

The increase in the number of days where temperatures exceed 25C (77F) could happen with a global average 4C rise, a study in the journal Climatic Change said.