Urgent action on climate must form part of Covid recovery, warns Lancet

Fresh pressure on Glasgow summit to deliver transformational emissions cuts, but Harry Cockburn wonders if it will be enough

‘Recovery from Covid-19 can be a green recovery, improving human health, or it can be a business-as-usual recovery that puts us all at risk’ (Getty)

Less than two weeks ahead of the UN’s Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, the Lancet medical journal has warned that “urgent action” is required to integrate climate crisis mitigation with Covid-19 recovery plans.

In a report titled Code Red For A Healthy Future, it warns that failure to do so will exacerbate the health hazards already faced by people due to the worsening climate crisis.

These include food and water insecurity, heatwaves and the spread of infectious diseases.