Country: United Mexican States

Committee: World Health Organization (WHO)

Delegate: Vera L. Tolari Ramírez
Topic II: The Health Implications of Climate Change

There are many reasons why we need to clean up the global environment. One of the
most pressing is that a polluted environment is a deadly one. Every year, almost 12.6 million
people die from diseases associated with environmental hazards, such as air, water or soil
pollution, and climate change. That is one in four deaths worldwide. Resilience is the ability of a
system and its component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects
of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner. Adaptation is defined as the process of
adjustment to actual climate and its effects.

For centuries, the Mayan, Aztec, and Toltec people built their lives in Mexico. It was the
birthplace of renowned painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. But today, climate change is
transforming Mexico’s geography, environment, and future – a country that more than 120
million people call home. Climate change has become the biggest long-term threat to the capital
city’s future. That’s because it is linked to water, health, air pollution, floods, landslides, and
storms — which means the government can’t begin to address any of the city’s social and
economic problems without facing the climate issue. Yet, progress is being made. Simple
interventions, such as reducing vehicle emissions and investments in rapid transit systems, will
save lives. Athens, Madrid, Mexico City and Paris plan to ban diesel vehicles by 2025.
Implementing proven interventions to address short-lived climate pollutants could save over 2.4
million lives a year, and reduce global warming by approximately 0.5 C, by 2050. In many cases
the benefits will more than cover the cost of intervention. Inter‐ministerial Commissions,
Strategies, and Plans have also been carried through.

We must now work to help the citizens of the world. The delegation presents some
methods that will certainly affect countries, for the better:
 ● A range of interventions can both improve public health and reduce household emissions:
a transition from the inefficient use of solid fuels like wood and charcoal, towards
cleaner energy sources like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, and electricity could
save lives by reducing indoor levels of black carbon and other fine particulate matter.

● Governments should implement clean energy sources in public organizations, specifically

like state-owned hospitals. Clean energy is more reliable and has a lower cost in the long
run. In this way, low carbon energy for health care could not only mitigate climate
change, it could enhance access to essential health services and ensure resilience.

Major paradigm shifts like these are extremely difficult to bring about, but the sweeping
environmental changes that will come about as a consequence of climate change demand
innovation on a large scale. It is the duty of the international community to experiment
responsibly with new approaches to evidence based decision making.

Bibliography:
World Health Organization (WHO). (2015). Climate and Country Health Profile, Mexico.
Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/246116/WHO-FWC-PHE-EPE-
15.26-eng.pdf;jsessionid=78DE58597A494C65BC2ADF8842332337?sequence=1
Climate Reality Project. (2018, February 14). How Is Climate Change Affecting Mexico?
Retrieved from https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/how-climate-change-affecting-
mexico

World Health Organization (WHO). (2018, January 3). Working as one UN to address the root
environmental causes of ill health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/en/news-
room/commentaries/detail/working-as-one-un-to-address-the-root-environmental-causes-of-ill-
health

United Nations. (n.d.). Comments of Mexico on Climate Change and Security. Retrieved from
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/resources/res_pdfs/ga-64/cc-inputs/Mexico_CCIS.pdf

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2012) Glossary of terms. In: Managing the
Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. Retrieved from
https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/srex/SREX-Annex_Glossary.pdf