2022, Number 2
Politics, Profits & Pandemics: Earth's Worst-Case Scenario
Language: English
References: 19
Page: 3-5
PDF size: 140.80 Kb.
Text Extraction
To reverse course, the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic must be heeded. The pandemic showed that scientifi c collaboration, global coordination, streamlined regulatory processes like seamless trials and intersectoral cooperation are possible. Unfortunately, as the pandemic worsened, these positive actions were eclipsed by nationalist (and in some cases neo-colonialist) policies, fi nger pointing, mis- and disinformation by governments and the media, mixed messaging by health authorities and fear mongering. Inequities were laid bare, within and among countries, and the woeful inadequacies of health systems exposed. It is no coincidence that health is the single indicator that cuts across all f i ve main actions of the Paris Agreement; still, just 0.5% of overall funding from multilateral climate fi nance is allocated specifi cally to protect or improve human health.REFERENCES
Guterres A. Scretary-General’s statement on the conclusion of the UN ClimateChange Conference COP26. United Nations Secretary-General [Internet]. NewYork: United Nations; 2021 Nov 13 [cited 2022 Apr 21]; [about 3 screens]. Availableat: www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2021-11-13/secretary-generals-statement-the-conclusion-of-the-un-climate-change-conference-cop26
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [Internet]. Atlanta: Center forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC); c2022. Healthy Water Home. GlobalWater, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Fast Facts; [cited 2022 April 17]; [about4 screens]. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html
Lee BY. Covid-19 Coronavirus won’t be last or worst pandemic, how to stoppanic-neglect cycle [Internet]. New Jersey: Forbes; 2020 Jul 4 [cited 2022Apr 21]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/07/04/covid-19-coronavirus-wont-be-last-or-worst-pandemic-how-to-stop-panic-neglectcycle/
World Health Organization [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization;c2022. News. World Bank and WHO: Half the world lacks access to essentialhealth services, 100 million still pushed into extreme poverty because of healthexpenses; 2017 Dec 13 [cited 2022 Apr 21]; [about 3 screens]. Available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/13-12-2017-world-bank-and-who-half-the-world-lacks-access-to-essential-health-services-100-million-still-pushed-into-extreme-poverty-because-of-health-expenses
Reuters [Internet]. London: Reuters; c2022. Business. Healthcare & PharmaceuticalsCoronavirus. Vaccine nationalism puts world on brink of ‘catastrophicmoral failure’: WHO chief; 2021 Jan 18 [cited 2022 Apr 21]; [about2 screens]. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/vaccine-nationalism-puts-world-brink-catastrophic-moral-failure-who-chief-2021-01-18/
Pfi zer, BioNTech and Moderna making US$1,000 profi t every second whileworld’s poorest countries remain largely unvaccinated. Nairobi: OXFAM; 2021Nov 16 [cited 2022 Apr 26]; [about 2 screens]. Available at: https://www.oxfam.org.nz/news-media/pfizer-biontech-and-moderna-making-us1000-profit-every-second/
McCarthy N. Which Companies Received the Most COVID-19 VaccineR&D Funding? (Infographic) [Internet]. New Jersey: Forbes; 2021 May 6[cited 2022 Apr 26]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2021/05/06/which-companies-received-the-most-covid-19-vaccine-rd-funding-infographic/?sh=544ccb404333