![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Dominica-Climate-Change-642x510.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dominica is among low- and middle income countries that are leading the way when it comes to inclusion of health goals in their climate commitments, a new report has shown.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, the report, the Healthy NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Scorecard, shows Dominica is behind just Burundi and C\u00f4te d’Ivoire in the matter of integrating health in the battle against climate change.<\/p>\n
As required by the Paris Agreement, nations are expected to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for analysis.<\/p>\n
Fifty-eight NDCs, Dominica among them, were submitted to the UNFCCC between 1st October 2021 and 23 September 2022 and analyzed for the report.<\/p>\n
The NDCs were assessed based on their attention to six health categories: integrated governance, health impacts, health sector action, health co-benefits, economics and finance, and monitoring and implementation. Three points were available for each category, with a total possible \u2018health score\u2019 of 18.<\/p>\n
Out of the highest score of 18, Dominica’s NDC scored a total of 14, in a tie with the Dem. Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n
Jess Beagley, Policy Lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said the report indicates that there is a trend among low- and middle-income countries that shows they have “greater ambition for protecting their citizens\u2019 health from the worst impacts of climate change, while identifying additional wins through health co-benefits of climate action.”<\/p>\n
The report pointed to some of the steps taken by Dominica to protect its citizen’s health from the impacts of climate change based on its NDC submitted to the UNFCCC.<\/p>\n
“With respect to integrated governance, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment collaborated with other agencies to address climate actions for health as part of a national consultation on the Global Framework for Climate Services,” the report stated. “Dominica refers to the devastating multitude of impacts on lives and livelihoods, as well as the impacts of climate-related land degradation on health and nutrition.”<\/p>\n
It went on to say that Dominica’s NDC notes the health impacts of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015, which caused the deaths of 30 people across the island in the nation\u2019s worst disaster since Hurricane David.<\/p>\n
“Also in 2015, The Ministry of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment conducted a Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment for climate change and health,” the report said. “Training for all district health care workers on the impacts of climate change on health was conducted by the Ministry of Health, and a national media campaign was conducted to highlight the health impact of climate change. According to the NDC, climate change was previously mostly regarded as an environmental phenomenon. Health co-benefits are referred to in the agriculture, energy, gender, nature-based solutions, transport, water and waste sectors.”<\/p>\n
Additionally, the report said that a budget has been included for Health and Wellness investment in Dominica.<\/p>\n
“With regard to monitoring and implementation, Dominica seeks to have 80% community health service functional within ~1-2 hours of a major event by 2025, and zero climate-related fatalities and 100% Smart Health Centres by 2030,” it stressed.<\/p>\n
The report also pointed to a lack of commitment and long term vision by wealthy, industrialized countries (which have been responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions) in integrating health goals in tackling climate change.<\/p>\n
Beagley said such countries must take up health as a core goal of climate action and bring up the matter in climate talks such as those that are expected to take place at COP28 slated for December this year.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, countries with high scores, such as Dominica, must play a key role as champions for people and people\u2019s health at the talks.<\/p>\n
“Crucially, all countries should send their health ministers to COP28 to send a clear message that people\u2019s health must be central to the climate negotiations,” Beagly stated.<\/p>\n
The report was published by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, a coalition of over 150 health and development organizations working to tackle climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dominica is among low- and middle income countries that are leading the way when it comes to inclusion of health goals in their climate commitments, a new report has shown. As a matter of fact, the report, the Healthy NDC…","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":303149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[237,235,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-303148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-change","category-homepage-carousel","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n